Nowadays Louis Vuitton celebrates the bicentennial of founder’s birth with a series of creative initiatives. To accompany this celebration, we take a short tour through the history of the iconic brand, which started its production with travel trunks.
Louis Vuitton’s roots as a trunk maker preceded even the founding of company. In 1937, 16-year-old Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris by foot after a two-year journey. When this young man took his first step into the capital of the fashion world, he had no idea that his whole life will change completely. Later on, he started work with Monsieur Maréchal, who was a valued trunk producer, and he quickly became a cherished craftsman at the atelier of Monsieur Maréchal.
He stayed here for 17 years and designed boxes and trunks according to client’s special orders. These were the roots of his trade. When Vuitton opened his own atelier at near the Place Vendome, his legendary story began.
A Family Residence, A Workshop
The success of Louis Vuitton was a signal to expand his works and therefore he opened Asnières site in 1859. Since its founding, the site has been a symbol of the Vuitton’s family both personal and commercial. The atelier started with 20 employees. In 1900, there were 100 people and by 1914 there were 225. The original atelier has been expanded in time, including the addition family residence. It is still the place where products are crafted today. While the family residence has been preserved as a private part of museum, 170 craftsmen work in atelier.
A Revolution in Luggage Locks
One of the important milestones in the brand history is revolutionized luggage locks. In the 1900s, people carried all their essentials inside trunks, naturally, often attracted burglars. As a master trunk maker, Louis Vuitton and his son George developed a lock system that helps to protect their client’s trunks: a single lock system with two spring buckles. After several years of development, they patented this lock system. With the revolutionized lock system, the Louis Vuitton trunks turned into a treasure chest, so to speak.
