Louis Vuitton both revolutionized and prospered with a new art of travel. Founded in the midst of a number of technical advances brought on by the Industrial Revolution, the original trunkmaker grew in his genius and persevered when it came to his instincts. He saw the potential for flat trunks, but it was his love for beauty and utility that brought him to invent epi leather, the damier canvas, and the unpickable lock at the end of the 19th century. If the Monogram is today an instantly recognizable contribution by Louis Vuitton to French patrimony, it’s because the label has always remained loyal to its spirit of inventiveness, with pieces of an irreproachable quality. The story of Louis Vuitton, the founder, is the story of a journey: at age 14, he left his native Jura for a great new adventure in Paris. All grown up, he would retain the importance of adaptation and gave his brand the intuition of his day: traveling would be the key to the coming century, and no other brand was capable of accompanying travelers like Louis Vuitton.
Ever since, the brand has been alongside the growth of means of transport with exemplary deftness: special orders, coated canvas trunks, carry-on bags, hat boxes – Louis Vuitton’s savoir-faire knows no limit. Handed down from father to son, the label’s techniques and aesthetics adapt to modernity with ease: elegant, resistant, and ingenious, the Vuitton spirit is incarnated by the signature V. In the 20s, an ad laid out the trunkmaker’s adage: “Fly, sail, travel with Louis Vuitton”. “The rules are simple: you have an object to bring along on a trip, we take care of the rest,” explains Patrick-Louis Vuitton, member of the fifth generation. “Nothing is impossible, but I refuse anything that’s a coffin and brutish. That’s not my line of work.” The V has long traversed the ages, and today defines the brand’s mystery and power. Whether in leathergoods, watches, or jewelry, the V assumed its importance during the exhibit Volez, Voguez, Voyagez at the Grand Palais in 2016.
“The extraordinary resides in what we want to bring along on a trip,” responds Patrick-Louis. “A Stradivarius, a river of diamonds. Every object is a challenge. Three years ago, a Chinese customer told me: ‘I want to be able to watch TV anywhere in the world and have a coffee with four people.’ So I made a trunk with an integrated screen, a tuner, a DVD player, and an espresso machine all inside. I added solar panels and a battery. All you had to do was open the trunk to watch a favorite film with friends in the middle of the desert…” This innovative and incredibly avant-garde spirit can be found in this signature, a V with refined aesthetics that seals the magic of the Louis Vuitton universe. This sense of originality has never been denied since. Take for instance the “Essential V” jewelry collection, articulated around this elegant calligraphic character, designed by Nicolas Ghesquière.
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