LOUIS VUITTON'S SUCCESS STORY

LOUIS VUITTON 

LOUIS VUITTON popularly know as LV is a french fashion brand which is still in the business of offering quality wears such as: bags, clothing, shoes, accessories and jewellery, for mostly the elite (crème de la crème). It is one of the most valuable luxury brands in the world.

How ever only a few know the Genesis of this luxury brand.

** The founder Louis Vuitton Malletier was born August 4, 1821 in Anchay a town to the east of france, his father Xavier was a farmer and mother Coronne Gaillard a miller who later passed away when he was just 10years old.

** In 1835 at the age of 13, tired of provincial life in Anchay and of his strict stepmother who some say she was wicked to him, Vuitton left home for Paris. The 292 mile journey took him two years on foot with stops to carry out odd jobs to support himself along the way.

** Upon arrival in Paris in 1837, Vuitton became an apprentice at a successful box-making and packing workshop belonging to Monsieur Marechal - a craft that was highly respected at the time (19th Century). Within a few years he had gained reputation as one of the best in his field in the city.

** In 1853 Vuitton's fortunes rose when he was appointed the personal box-maker and packer of the Empress of France, Eugenie de Montijo - Napoleon Bonaparte's wife. Vuitton was assigned with the responsibility of beautifully packaging her Empress clothings for transportation between the Tuileres Palace, the Château de Saint-Cloud and various seaside resorts. The position opened the doors to a new class of elite and royal clientele.

** During spring, April 22, 1854 Vuitton married 17-year-old beauty Clemence-Emilie Parriaux. Shortly afterwards he left the shop he had apprenticed for and opened his own box-making and packing workshop in Paris. The sign outside read: "Securely packs the most fragile objects. Specialising in packing fashions". He also began creating his trunks in canvas instead of leather, which gave them the advantage of being hard-wearing and waterproof.

** In 1858, four years after opening his own shop, Vuitton debuted an entirely new trunk. Instead of leather, it was made of a gray canvas that was lighter, more durable and more impervious to water and odors. However, the key selling point was that unlike all previous trunks, which were dome-shaped, Vuitton's trunks were rectangular—making them stackable and far more convenient for shipping via new means of transport like the railroad and steamship. Most commentators consider Vuitton's trunk the birth of modern luggage.

** The trunks proved an immediate commercial success, and advances in transportation and the expansion of travel placed an increasing demand for Vuitton's trunks. In 1859, to fulfill the requests placed for his luggage, he expanded into a larger workshop in Asnieres, a village outside Paris. Business was booming, and Vuitton received personal orders not only from French royalty but also from Isma'il Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt.

** In 1867 a bronze medal was awarded to Vuitton at the Exposition Universelle, an international exposition organised by Napoleon and held in Paris, which further increased the popularity of his work.

** During the Franco-Prussian War, from 1870-71, Vuitton's workshop was looted and destroyed. Once the war ended he attributed his tenaciousness by setting up a new workshop within a couple of months in an aristocratic area of central Paris.

** Vuitton introduced a trunk in a beige and red striped canvas in 1872. The design appealed to the new Parisian elite and helped secure the brand's position as a luxury offering.

** Vuitton won a gold medal and the grand prize at the Exposition Universelle in 1889, which made him gain recognition and assisted in bolstering the popularity of his work.

** Vuitton continued to work until his death at the age of 72 on February 27, 1892. He left control of the company to his son, Georges Vuitton.

** In 1896, in response to widespread copying of the brand's patterns (a problem that continues to plague the house today), Georges created the famous LV monogram canvas - featuring diamonds, circles and flowers - to distinguish the brand's products.

** The Louis Vuitton building, the largest travel-goods store in world, was opened on the Champs-Élysées in 1914 and counted Coco Chanel as a patron.

** Bag shapes that remain popular fashion staples today were introduced throughout the 1900s. The Steamer bag, a smaller piece designed to be kept inside the luggage trunks, was introduced in 1901. The Keepall bag was debuted in 1930 followed by the Noé bag, which was originally designed to carry Champagne, in 1932, and the cylindrical Pappillon bag in 1966. Thanks to the advancements in technology & an innovative coating process, a supple version of the monogram canvas was created in 1959. This allowed it to be used for purses, bags and wallets.

In 1997 Marc Jacobs was appointed the house's first creativedirector and was charged with introducing men's and women'sready-to-wear collections. At the time, Jacobs told US Vogue: "What I have in mind are things that are deluxe butthat you can also throw into a bag and escape town with, becauseLouis Vuitton has a heritage in travel." Jacobs collaborated with designer Stephen Sprouse in 2001 to create a limited-edition line of bags featuring "Louis Vuitton" written in graffiti over the monogram pattern.

** The house has cultivated a strong celebrity following under Jacobs' direction and many models, actors and musicians have been the face of the brand. For the Core Values campaign, introduced in 2007 and aimed at showcasing the brand's travel roots, celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Bono, Sean Connery, Keith Richards and Catherine Deneuve have appeared. Other campaigns have included Natalia Vodianova, Christy Turlington and Kate Elson for autumn/winter 2010-11; Madonna for spring/summer 2009; Diane Kruger, Chloe Sevigny, Christina Ricci and Scarlett Johanssen for spring/summer 2007; Scarlett Johanssen for autumn/winter 2004-05; and Jennifer Lopez for autumn/winter 2003-04.

** In 2012 the house won a landmark ruling in the US protecting it from large-scale international counterfeiting. The ruling helps stop the import of goods into the US that illegally bear the brand's trademarks, and penalises companies that facilitate the trade of those goods.

** Also In 2012, Louis Vuitton was named the world's most valuable luxury brand for the seventh year in a row in a study conducted by Millward Brown Optimor. Valued at $25.9 billion (£16.5 billion) it beat Hermes, valued at $19.1 billion (£12.1 billion) in second place and Rolex, at $7.17 billion (£4.57 billion) in third place.

Reference 
OLIVIA HOLBOROW
SUCCESS STORY