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Founded in 1854, the house of Louis Vuitton soon became renowned for its radically innovative approach to travel luggage. Its founder, Louis Vuitton, began his career aged 16 as an apprentice for a Parisian manufacturer of packing boxes. Vuitton's exceptional craftsmanship attracted the attention of the French aristocracy, leading him to open his own workshop in 1854 at 4 Rue Neuve-des-Capucines near the Place Vendôme.

Vuitton’s luggage designs were celebrated for their durability and practicality. In 1858, he introduced the first flat-topped, stackable trunk — a radical departure from the curved lid designs that were prominent at the time. This fusion of functional design with high-quality materials established a foundation that has since defined Louis Vuitton.

Vuitton's commercial success led him to open a larger atelier in 1859 in Asnières, just outside Paris, where Louis Vuitton products are still produced today. In this workshop, Vuitton continued to refine travel design, introducing a beige-and-red striped canvas in 1872 that helped cement the brand’s luxury status. In 1886, Vuitton and his son Georges Vuitton unveiled an ‘unpickable’ pioneering lock system, which is still used by the house today.

Following Vuitton’s death in 1892, his son expanded the business internationally and introduced the now-iconic LV monogram in 1896. Over the 20th and 21st centuries, the brand evolved into a global luxury house, producing clothes, footwear, accessories and fragrances. Luggage and bags remain central to the house’s designs — from the lightweight Louis Vuitton Keepall (1930) to the bucket-shaped Louis Vuitton Noé (1932).

Subsequent creative directors have shaped the brand’s cultural impact. Marc Jacobs launched the house’s first ready-to-wear collections in 1998, while directors Nicolas Ghesquière and Virgil Abloh expanded Louis Vuitton’s visual language through innovative and collaborative approaches.

Today, Louis Vuitton stands as one of the world’s leading luxury houses — Christie’s auctioned the largest single-owner collection of Louis Vuitton trunks ever offered at auction in 2024–2025, totalling €3.5 million. The brand’s enduring balance of heritage and experimentation continues to position it as a defining force in contemporary luxury.