In 1896, Georges Vuitton, having taken over for his deceased father Louis, imagined a new canvas to cover the flawless baggage produced by his brand. This new canvas was meant to incarnate all the inspiration, charm, and quality of Louis Vuitton luggage. The Monogram canvas was born as an inspired and authentic composition – indeed with authenticity aplenty. Through this aesthetic and innovative canvas, Georges Vuitton sought to counter the growing problem of counterfeiting. Several years earlier his father conceived of a lock like no other -an “unpickable” lock with five grooves. In 1896, Georges engraved his father’s initials around their floral motifs inspired by gothic art, contemporary art, and Japanese art. This is the history of the Monogram as a Louis Vuitton logo. But what Georges Vuitton didn’t count on was for the Monogram to become a source of inspiration for future generations.
The Monogram has today gone beyond the function of a label to become a symbol as popular as Mickey Mouse. In addition to perpetuating a two centuries old savoir-faire and promoting an overflowing creativity, the trunkmaker has anchored its name and its products into the ranks of icon of an era. For instance, the Monogram has also become a line of jewelry. But the true magic of Louis Vuitton’s seal resides in the chameleon-esque nature of this signature. In 1996, the manufacturer at 101 Avenue des Champs-Élysées celebrated the centennial of the legendary Monogram with humor in tow. To demonstrate all its character and contemporariness, the trunkmaker called on some of the most talented, visionary, and enlightened artists of their generation. Some noteworthy collaborators were photographer Cindy Sherman – who participated again in 2014 – Japanese fashion idol Rei Kawakubo, architect Frank Gehry, Christian Louboutin, and Chanel’s creative director Karl Lagerfeld. But the most eloquent pieces remain the Faux-Cul Vuitton imagined by Vivienne Westwood and the fabulous ‘Feline’ bag by Azzedine Alaïa.
Ever since, the Monogram has become the traditional format for some of the most contemporary creations. Released with different identities, fabrics, and aesthetics, the Monogram has become Vernis, Mini, Glacé, Graffiti launched in 2001 with Stephen Sprouse, and Multicolore. Marc Jacobs’ energy, which occupied the brand’s creative director post for 15 years, was no stranger to it. He affixed it onto a multitude of formats – fur, plastic, lace, paint, denim, nothing could resist the timelessness and beauty of the Monogram. Even various Japanese elements pair with it marvelously: “In those days”, explains ex-Louis Vuitton president Yves Carcelle, “the idea came, as was often the case with Marc, over the course of a completely informal conversation. Contrary to what one may think, things were much less planned than you may imagine between Marc and Vuitton. With Murakami, as was the case with Kusama, we didn’t decide that the multicolor Monogram would be such a success, or that it would become part of the brand’s classic collections.” This delirious pairing between tradition and avant-garde brought each of its creations into the temple of contemporary art icons through the legendary abilities of Louis Vuitton’s ateliers, and the Monogram along with it.
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