Custom-made orders and highly practical innovations – the Louis Vuitton suitcase exceeds expectations since 1854 to make the wildest dreams come true.
The history of Louis Vuitton is undoubtedly linked to that of the transport boom at the turn of the 20th century, which the young Louis Vuitton had his good eye on. During his apprenticeship, the founder of the world’s most luxurious company observed the upheavals of his time. In 1854, convex cases became out of fashion. Louis Vuitton innovated and invented a flat case, practical and ideal for stacking in boats, cars and trains. But not just any. Travel on the Orient Express then reached its peak.
The Maharajahs and the kings of the East become the unofficial ambassadors of the Vuitton company.But the end of the 19th century and the dawn of the 20th century are also and above all else an era of great exploration – archaeologists and adventurers are quick to place tailor-made orders. And they turn out brilliantly!
The suitcase becomes a worldwide succes
In 1868, Louis Vuitton created the Lit-suitcase for the Universal exposition of Paris. Shortly after, explorer Pierre Savorgant de Brazza turned it into an icon. In 1872, it was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Abdulhamid II who ordered a case from the house for his little ones … In 1886, Georges Vuitton revolutionized the comfort of travel a little more by inventing the unpickable lock. Vuitton travel trunks become real treasure chests.
Paul Poiret fell under its charm, and had cases made for both his living rooms and his personal use… Jeanne Lanvin did the same for her sponge bag. The modus operandi of fashion is innovation, and in 1911, explorer Albert Kahn revived its adventurous dimension.
He orders travel cases from Louis Vuitton to transport his photo and video equipment. Thanks to these cases, he was able to make and bring back to Europe the largest gathering of autochromes, on glass plates dedicated to the diversity of peoples and cultures … From five continents and more than 60 countries!
Louis Vuitton conquers the hearts of writers and artists
The traveling soul of Ernest Hemingway also found in the Louis Vuitton trunk the ideal companion to his musings. When he was a foreign correspondent living in Paris in the mid-1920s, he ordered an arranged version of his library cases. It houses not only books, but also a typewriter. This trunk will follow him until the end of his life.When it was found in the basement of the Ritz, it contained the lost manuscript of “Paris is a party” – his posthumous masterpiece!
It is of little wonder then to learn that painters of the caliber of Matisse and Picabia trusted Louis Vuitton to make picture cases. A guarantee of eternal security – as chic as it is practical! A heritage which today finds a more mischievous echo in the work of Nicolas Ghesquière. He who, in 2019, imagines the mini-trunk for Apple AirPods. Each era has its desires and priorities. Louis Vuitton is only there to make them happen.