Louis Vuitton: The Illustrated World Of A Fashion Icon

Louis Vuitton's name is now synonymous with luxury, but the man behind the brand came from very humble beginnings, and his story is one of perseverance. Louis left his rural village at just 13 years old and took two years to walk to Paris, where he began learning the traditional craft of trunkmaking and packing. His particular skills in packing fashion eventually led to him becoming the personal trunkmaker for the stylish French empress. He started his eponymous house in 1854 and quickly brought in the first of many innovations – the flat-top trunk, which became the must-have accessory in the golden age of travel. While overcoming obstacles and achieving recognition in his lifetime, Louis also set up his son and grandson to take on the business with incredible success, bringing Louis Vuitton luggage to the world and developing further innovations, such as the unpickable lock and the iconic LV Monogram pattern. The brand's expansion into bags was sparked by Coco Chanel ordering a custom handbag, and soon they were not just making innovative trunks for royalty and explorers but also handbags loved by stars of stage and screen. When the maison expanded into ready-to-wear under Marc Jacobs in the 2000s, the legacy of fashion and adventure was complete.