Louis Vuitton: biography
The name of the brand Louis Vuitton is known even to those, who are far from the fashion world. Precious things of this company have become a symbol of luxury and good taste. The history of the brand is inextricably linked with the biography of Louis Vuitton, the founder of the same company and a talented fashion designer.
Louis Vuitton was born in a town called Jura in Eastern France on August 4, 1821. The boy's father worked as a carpenter and instilled in the boy a love of working with his hands.
It should be noted that new railways were laid in the country, it became fashionable to travel by trains at that time. Therefore, both professions related to stations and railways and things that will be useful in a long journey were in demand. Tailoring of suitcases became very profitable occupation. It inspired Louis Vuitton, who was then 14 years old, to travel to Paris. The teenager planned to learn tailoring skills and tailoring of suitcases. The difficulty was that Louis's father could not give his son money for the road; the family did not have any money.
However, purposeful Vuitton did not give up his dream. Louis went to Paris on foot. The distance that the teenager had to go was 400 kilometers. Vuitton had to earn extra money to feed himself on the way. Louis found a job as an apprentice at a master, who made travel bags and suitcases in the capital. Vuitton's talent allowed the future master to learn this craft correctly for three years. In 1840, the young man was appointed senior assistant of the master. Louis even began to receive personal orders for suitcases and bags.
Fashion
Louis Vuitton bags became famous in Paris for the quality and accuracy with which the novice master worked. Noble clients began to address him and Napoleon III's wife Eugénie ordered a bag from Louis in 1853. Since then, Vuitton became a personal master of the Empress. A woman did not want to address the other masters. The career of the young master went up to the hill. The role played his care with which Vuitton did his work faithfully and skillfully.
In 1854, the first store of Louis Vuitton called Louis Vuitton: Malletier a Paris was opened which translated into Russian as "Louis Vuitton: leather suitcases of Paris." The first sign with the name of the store has survived until now and this building still attracts tourists and fashion lovers from around the world.
The main achievement of Vuitton is considered to be a rectangular suitcase. There were uncomfortable bags with convex sides earlier. Transportation caused a lot of difficulties. Besides, it was not possible to put such bags on one another: suitcases always slipped and fell. Louis Vuitton decided to solve the problem.
In 1858, the fashion designer presented to the public his bag Trianon, which differed from the usual models of the flat lid and sturdy fasteners. Also, the master guessed to cover the wood with waterproof material, from which the suitcase is made. The edges of the suitcase were covered with iron corners. It made the new model of the suitcase comfortable and durable. The demand for the revolutionary novelty was so high that Louis Vuitton opened his workshop, where bags began to be manufactured on an industrial scale two years later. Later, the studio moved to Asnières-sur-Seine, where Louis Vuitton opened his second store in 1871.
The mark of Louis Vuitton became famous far beyond Paris and even France, so the master decided to expand the range. In addition to suitcases, Vuitton began to produce accessories that travelers may need. The prices of Louis Vuitton's bags turned out to be quite attractive for scammers and the master was faced with a huge number of fake suitcases. In 1885, Louis wanted to give the suitcases an original and unique appearance.
First of all, it was decided to use only brown fabric. There was a pattern of light and dark squares on the fabric. Also, the authenticity of the bags was certified by the signature of the master, applied to each product. The last significant business for Louis Vuitton was the release of a catalog, listing the range of models of the brand.
The great master died a month later. The date of Louis Vuitton's death was on January 27, 1892. Louis was 71 years old. The brand itself is estimated to be worth over US $19 billion.
Personal life
There is no reliable information about the master's personal life. However, it is known that he had a son Georges, who became the head of the company after the death of his talented father. It is worth noting that Georges helped his father at work from adolescence, so the transfer of the brand into new hands was painless.
Georges Vuitton created the logo of Louis Vuitton. The design monogram with diamonds and flowers is still the hallmark of the fashion house.
Louis Vuitton Fashion House
Georges made a lot of effort to make this brand popular outside his native country. The advertising of Louis Vuitton brand began to appear in European capitals, as well as in New York and even Brazilian Buenos Aires. In 1936, Georges Vuitton died, the business of Louis Vuitton passed into the hands of his son Gaston-Louis Vuitton. The new owner managed to gain a foothold in the Asian market: boutiques were opened in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. In 1989, Louis Vuitton models were sold in 130 boutiques in France and other countries.
The next turning point in the fate of the brand was 1997 when Marc Jacobs became the artistic director of the company. Jacobs decided to expand the range of the brand. The fashion community was glad to buy clothes and a watch and shoes and luxury accessories of Louis Vuitton. Each collection of Louis Vuitton became a joyful event for fashionistas of all ages and nationalities. Magazines were full of photos of celebrities with bags and watches of Louis Vuitton.
You can choose not only bags, clothes or shoes on the official website of Louis Vuitton. In 2010, the company produced the first collection of cases for the iPad. Angelina Jolie, Catherine Deneuve, Sean Connery, Madonna and other stars represented Louis Vuitton's advertising campaigns at different times. In addition to the fashion world, the company of Louis Vuitton is also interested in sports events. From 1983 to 2007, the company sponsored the Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta.
Each presentation of the brand's new collection is a chic theatrical performance. For example, the models were on the catwalk in the nurses' robes in 2007.
2016 and 2017 are marked by the traditional appearance of new collections of the brand. Perhaps even the most fastidious fashionistas can easily pick up a thing characterized by a recognizable and unique logo of Louis Vuitton. Six registered stores in Russia represent the brand. One boutique is located in St. Petersburg, three in Moscow and one in Sochi and Yekaterinburg.
Louis Vuitton's net worth is estimated of $35 million.
