December 2, 2024 • 29 mins
Unlock the secrets behind one of the world's most iconic luxury brands, Louis Vuitton, as we journey through its rich history and groundbreaking innovations. Discover how his flat-top trunk revolutionized travel and set the foundation for a brand.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi everyone and welcome to Magnifique, your
go-to podcast for all thingsfashion.
I'm your host, gabrielle, andtoday we discuss Louis Vuitton,
a name that has lived in theluxury space for over 150 years.
I was inspired to do a littledeep dive into the history
(00:21):
because I recently found outthat Pharrell Williams was the
new artistic director ofmenswear, and I said hold up,
hold up.
When did this happen?
I don't know much about thecompany, nor do I know much
about Pharrell, but how'd we gethere?
What was the inspiration?
So thus we embark.
(00:43):
Feel free to get cozy, buckleup.
We have an episode for you, solet's just get into it.
On August 4th 1821, in Anche,france, a small village in
eastern France, louis Vuittonwas born, and so was my dog on
(01:06):
this day in 2020, august 4th.
So I don't want to say that mydog is a reincarnation of Louis
Vuitton, but she is a creativegenius.
So who's really to say?
We can't?
It's too early to determine,and, of course, he would have a
self-named brand.
He was a Leo.
Truly, what more did you expect?
(01:26):
I have been reading more intomy astrology, which is so fun
and really just an awesome wayto kickstart this, but I have a
lot more Leo than I anticipated.
So maybe actually I'm thereincarnation of Louis Vuitton.
Have we ever stopped to thinkabout that?
He was born to Xavier Vuittonand Caron Gaillard Caron.
(01:50):
His mother passed away when hewas 10 years old, leaving his
father to remarry a woman whodid not like Louis at all, just
wasn't a big fan.
She was also too strict,leaving Louis with no other
choice but to run away at 13.
Of course, naturally, hetrudged on foot to Paris to
(02:13):
start his new life, and thistrudge took three years to
officially make it.
He collected odd jobs along hisway to support himself, but
finally along his way to supporthimself, but finally, finally
arrived, when he was 16 yearsold in 1837, to Paris, france.
It was here that he startedworking as an apprentice for a
(02:35):
trunk designer, monsieur Marcal.
Back then, the main form oftransportation was horse-drawn
carriages.
Main form of transportation washorse-drawn carriages, boats,
trains, general places that yourluggage would just get thrown
about in every which way.
So craftsmen like Vatan werecalled to pack up and protect
(02:58):
the traveler's objects, and hebecame a highly skilled and
valued craftsman, perfect fordesigning unique and custom
boxes.
He even went on to manage thehighest esteemed clients of
Western Europe, such as NapoleonIII's wife, empress Eugene de
Montego, and he stayed workingwith Monsieur for 17 years
(03:23):
before leaving to start his ownbusiness ventures.
In this new business venture,he started by creating travel
boxes of his own and dedicatinghis brand to the flat-top trunk.
The flat-top trunk becomes hissignature move, so let's keep an
eye on that Around this time.
(03:44):
He also gets married to ClemensEmil Parrault soon after
everything went down withMonsieur in 1854.
Now Louis Vuitton's biggestlegacy to date is the invention
of the flat top trunk.
It was introduced in 1859.
(04:04):
Sorry, 1858.
This was revolutionary at thetime because the travel boxes
then were circular and took up agood amount of space.
So I don't know how nobodyinnovated sooner.
But more room for Louis, flattops allowed for stacking, which
(04:25):
saved space and allowedclientele to travel more.
So it was a hit.
Everyone loved it.
People wanted more from him.
So in 1859 Louis Vuitton openedits first location as an
atelier in Osnier, just north ofParis but on the Seine, to
provide for convenience and easeof trade.
(04:46):
This shop started with 20employees but would soon grow to
200 by 1914, and each craftsmanhere worked to create leather
goods and special orders fromclients at the time of Western
Europe, but it turns to all overthe world.
They are a global sensation.
(05:07):
The original atelier includedan expansion space that was used
as a family residencethroughout the years, but it's
now preserved as a privatemuseum, and today this location
is exclusively for very specialorders the most special of the
special.
The next innovation that theLouis Vuitton brand came up with
(05:28):
was the unpickable lock in 1866.
At the time, locks used to besubject to burgling by being
cracked open, but Vuitton'ssingle lock system consisted of
two springs that prevented theability of being picked, and
it's still used today in theirluggage.
The innovation was patented byGeorges Votin after many years
(05:52):
of development, and they were soconfident in its ability to be
unpickable that they invitedHarry Houdini, a famous American
escapologist, to try and escape.
However, houdini did not end updoing so, but the confidence
alone in requesting him is sucha feat in its own.
During the 1870s, theFranco-Prussian War, the demand
(06:17):
for luggage nearly plummeted atthe new workshop, and the
workshop was ransacked,equipment stolen, destroyed,
what have you?
But they prevailed.
They're still creatingmasterpieces to this day.
So every success story hasdownfalls.
I guess In 1880, the label'smost iconic canvas pattern.
(06:41):
You may know her the Damierprint, damier.
This print is seen on nearlyevery Louis Vuitton bag to this
day.
If it's not the LV monogram,it's the Damier print.
Um, to give my two cents,here's my two cents.
I'm paying for it.
Um, I much prefer the Damierprint.
(07:02):
I think it's more minimal.
But if I had to make theultimate choice, I'd prefer
something even more low-key inthat I'd prefer something
unbranded.
Perhaps just a personalpreference.
The monogram and the Damierprint.
Too loud for me.
What can I say?
(07:22):
I'm just a girl of quietluxuries who owns nothing from
this brand.
So who am I to talk?
How about that?
In 1892, we see the sudden deathof Mr Louis Vuitton at the age
of 70 due to cancer, and his son, georges, succeeds him as the
company head.
(07:42):
But Georges had a mission forthe company and it was to make
Louis Vuitton a worldwide brandname.
And he takes the LV luggageline to the 1893 Chicago World's
Fair where he meets JohnWanamaker, a US businessman, to
bring LV to the US markets andthe American department stores.
And this is the start of LV'seventual global influence.
(08:07):
He just had to die for hisglobal influence to kick in.
I don't need to say that In1896, the brand debuted its
signature monogram bag, the LVmonogram.
You've seen her, you love her.
This pattern was created tofend off any attempts at
(08:28):
counterfeiting the pattern andit was conceptualized once again
by Georgis himself.
I don't like the monogram, Idon't like it, but that's,
that's just me.
Louis Vuitton opened its firstflagship store on the
Champs-Élysées in 1913.
It brought many, many fashionelites to the storefront, ie
(08:52):
Gabrielle, coco Chanel you mayknow her from the dedicated
episode about her and in 1925,she commissioned a handbag which
had not been typical for thebrand but anything for Gabrielle
.
Right In 1930, chanel signedoff for the mass production of
these handbags and you may knowher as the Alma.
(09:15):
I'll say it, the Alma isgorgeous and I would consider it
in an unbranded colorway.
Like I said, I'm so sorry toGeorges, I could not get on
board with the monogram.
It's just not for me.
However, I've seen the Alma inred.
I love her very much.
I love her very much.
I'd like four, I'd like 400million.
Beautiful work, thank you.
(09:36):
Thank you, gabrielle, chanelSoon after we see the release of
the Kapal soft duffel bag in1924.
The year varied.
When I was checking my sources,I saw it in 1924.
I also saw it in 1930.
So either or.
But in 1930, we saw the releaseof the Express, a smaller
(09:57):
version of the Kapal bag.
She was later renamed to theSpeedy and the Speedy bag
remains one of LV's top sellersto this day.
I actually just read a Voguearticle the other day that
boasted about the it Boysstarting to sport it more
casually.
Of course we see Pharrelleverywhere and anywhere with
(10:20):
that thing, but the article mostnotably pointed out that Lebron
james and jacob elordi havebeen spotted out and with the
bag, and while I don't thinkthese two closely share the same
fan base, I think I think theyboth have incredible influence
and what their families leanstowards as far as fashion goes.
(10:42):
So maybe we'll see the beaniebag all around town, maybe it'll
have a TikTok moment.
Here we are in 1936.
Georges Vuitton passes away andhis son, gaston Vuitton, takes
over, and we're in the dreadeddecade of all fashion history.
(11:04):
This is the decade where we seethe most disappointment out of
our beloved brands, the brandLouis Vuitton openly supported
and collaborated with the Naziparty during the German
occupation of France.
This was an endorsement by themembers of the Vuitton family,
and this factoid was largelyleft undiscussed until Stefani
(11:28):
Bonvichini released a bookcalled Louis Vuitton A French
Saga, and in the book it saysthat members of the Vuitton
family actively supported thepuppet government led by Marshal
Philippe Pétain and made somemoney from their business
dealing with the Germans.
Bonvettini says that she wasgiven full cooperation by the
(11:50):
film when she proposed writingthis book a year ago.
But when she asked about itswartime activities she was told
that the company documents fromthe year 1930 to 1945 destroyed
in a fire.
Sorry about that, we just setit on fire.
From historical archives shediscovered that Louis Vuitton
had a store on the ground floorof the fabulous property Hotel
(12:13):
du Parc in Vichy where Vuittonset up his puppet government.
While the other shopkeepers,including jewelers like Van
Cleef, were shut down, vatan wasallowed to stay open.
I wonder why.
But the author of the book saysthat she talked to surviving
members and found that Vatan'sgrandson Gaston, the wartime
(12:37):
head of the company, hadinstructed his eldest son, henry
, to forge links to the bigVatan regime to keep the
business going.
So whether or not they likefully supported them, they fully
acted in accordance with them.
So not loving that kind ofdisappointed.
So we move on to 1970.
(12:59):
30 years later, gaston Louispasses away and leaves the reins
of the company to hisson-in-law, henri Racamier.
Racamier, who's to say In 1984,the brand continues toward
expansion by becoming a publiclytraded company due to the
(13:19):
financial recommendation ofJoseph Lafont, their financial
advisor director.
Recommendation of Joseph Lafont,their financial advisor
director.
Under the stewardship of GastonLouis Vuitton, it expanded its
offerings into luxury leathergoods and under his reign as
well, the brand grew from afamily-run business to a global
(13:40):
brand with stores all around theworld.
But now that Henri Racamier isthe head.
In 1987, louis Vuitton mergedwith Moet Hennessy, creating
LVMH.
The conglomerate is co-foundedby Moet Hennessy's CEO Alain
Chevalier, louis Vuitton'spresident Henri Racamier and
(14:02):
French investor Bernard Arnold.
Henri Racamier and Frenchinvestor Bernard Arnault.
The move cements LV'sinternational reputation amongst
the growth and reputation ofthe MH portion of the merger.
During and after this yes, Iknow what I said there was an
internal company turmoil.
Bernard Arnault successfullyousted Racamier from the company
(14:27):
and the LVMH board in 1989.
Bernard wanted more stake in,say, the conglomerate.
He said I'm going to be selfish, I'm going to do a selfish move
right now.
Oust this man.
So in 96, it was the 100-yearanniversary of the monogram
canvas, so Louis Vuittoncollaborated with six top
(14:49):
designers from the world tocreate unique iterations of the
luggage.
This results in variousdisplays and world capitals to
share the innovation withfashion lovers across the world.
So what did we have?
We had a vinyl box by HelmutLang, hiking bag from Romeo
Gigli, shoe trunk from ManoloBlahnik, weekend bag from Isaac
(15:13):
Mizrahi, bustle bag from VivianWestwood, loving that.
So that's kind of where theycame from.
Let's talk about where they go.
Where did you come from?
Where did you go?
Where did they go?
Cotton Eye, joe.
Let's talk about their artisticdirectors, because they have
various eras of artisticdirectors and they do really
(15:35):
incredible things with each.
So let's talk about 1997.
Marc Jacobs joins LV as theartistic director of Women's
Wear.
Mark Jacobs joins LV as theartistic director of women's
wear.
Not long after, in 1998, louisVuitton debuts the first
(15:56):
ready-to-wear line of thebrand's being.
Mark Jacobs was born in New Yorkin 1963.
He was brought up by hispaternal grandmother.
His grandmother saw hiscreative spark and instilled the
art of sewing and knitting inhim at a young age.
She really wanted him toflourish in his field.
This creative spark turned intoa passion for fashion and he
attends High School of Art andDesign and later attends Parsons
(16:19):
School of Design.
When he was not in school heworked as a storekeeper
charivari, an upper west sideconcept store.
He remained a high achiever atjust age 25 when he was
appointed artistic director ofperry ellis, creating a largely
controversial grunge collection,and due to this he was
(16:42):
immediately dismissed from hisrole.
But they kind of flopped therebecause his controversial grunge
collection received a ravingreview from Miss Anna Wintour
herself.
Perhaps with the win of Anna,it's kind of hard to determine
he wins his first ever Women'sWear Designer of the Year award
from the Council of FashionDesigners of America.
(17:04):
So now that he's at LouisVuitton, he also brings his
grungy alternative aura.
He continues to innovate thebrand by launching LV Jewelry in
2001.
The Charm Bracelet was thefirst piece that he debuted.
I don't know Angelina Jolie,scarlett Johansson, jennifer
Lawrence nope, jennifer Lopezall as ambassadors of LB Jewelry
(17:36):
.
He would also go on tocollaborate with artists, such
as 2001 Steven Sprouse, tocreate a line of limited edition
bags.
He customized bags withSprouse's signature graffiti and
he offered select pieces toonly VIP LV clientele.
And then he also collaboratedin 2002 with Takashi Murakami,
(18:01):
with a new line of monogrammulticolored bags and
accessories.
You've seen this.
You have seen it everywhere andit's honestly making a comeback
.
With y2k, you wanted to appealto a younger audience by
displaying a colorful 33 colorsto be exact lv monogram on a
black and white colored canvasbag.
Um, I'll post it on myinstagram story if you need a
(18:26):
visual, but it's a whitetypically.
It's what?
Typically?
From what I've seen, a whitecanvas bag with the rainbow LV
logo monogram.
You've definitely seen it, butI'll show you a picture.
And then we come to 2007,.
The one, the only Neverfull wasintroduced.
With the ability to carry up to200 pounds, it is arguably one
(18:49):
of LV's most sought-after bagsin the modern era.
I, before knowing anythingabout LV, I have exclusively
heard about the Neverfull.
It is people's dream bag.
They really want the Neverfull.
It's huge, it's massive.
It never appealed to me, but Ithink it is very pretty.
I like the red lining.
It never appealed to me, but Ithink it is very pretty.
I like the red lining.
(19:10):
Well, I think the red lining isspecial, right?
Marc Jacobs has been on my minda lot recently, mainly because
he guest-edited the Decemberissue of Vogue with Anna Wintour
, and I just think he's fabulous.
His vision is chef's kiss.
The way he walks into anyfashion sector just pops off.
(19:30):
Kiss your brain.
Mark jacobs, you are phenomenal.
Let me know if you guys want anin-depth episode about him.
I think he is so spectacular.
So mark jacob leaves.
He leaves 2013.
He steps away so that he canfocus on his own brand.
You may know it, marc Jacobs.
So what do we do now that MarcJacobs is gone, nicolas Jaskier
(19:59):
takes over.
He was previously the creativedirector at Balenciaga.
He was born in 1971 in Cominesand he makes his first fashion
appearance at age 15, withhonestly many apprenticeships,
but his big break was in 1991.
After finishing his schooling,he became the creative assistant
at Jean-Paul Gaultier.
He would go on to joinBalenciaga in 1995, only to
(20:23):
become the creative director by1997.
There he's known for hisfuturistic designs and
silhouettes, while maintainingsomehow Parisian chic.
He won his first Best Designerof the Year award from CDFA in
2001, and he receives FashionInnovator Award of the Year in
(20:44):
2011 by the Wall Street Journal.
He also brings the LouisVuitton shows across the world.
You may have seen him in theLouvre in Paris, the Jean-Sugio
Bridge in Seoul and then the NewYork TWA Flight Center in 2019.
He remains the artisticdirector of womenswear to this
(21:05):
day and I'd say he still remainspushing the boundaries of the
futuristic meets modern in avery beautiful and elegant way.
I really respect the work he'sdone.
But now let's get into menswear.
How about?
Kim Jones was originally theartistic director of menswear,
(21:27):
but he left in 2018 to pursueCreative Director of Dior Homme.
You may recognize Virgil Abloh'sname from being the founder of
Off-White.
He succeeds Jones in theposition in 2018.
Now Off-White is a streetwearbrand garnering many successful
collaborations, and isassociated with Nike, jimmy Choo
(21:48):
, kith Concept and Ikea.
Abloh's success in building andbranding Off-White was what
made him so attractive to the LVbrand and LVMH.
A little bit about Virgil Abloh.
He was born in Rockford,illinois, in 1980.
He's a man of many trades.
He's an artist, he's anarchitect, an engineer, a
(22:12):
creative director and a designer.
He's a trained architect fromthe University of Wisconsin in
symbol engineering and he's pals, or was pals, with Kanye West.
Abloh served as a creativedirector for Kanye West until
launching his own label, pyPyrex Vision, in 2012.
Abloh's been in the fashionconscious space since 2009, when
(22:38):
he opened his RSVP Galleryconcept store in Chicago, and
he's been on the minds of LVMHsince 2015, when he was among
the finalists of the LVMH PrizeAward to design Jacques Meus and
Marquise Almeria.
Abloh's debut presentationfeatures walks from Thaybar
(23:00):
Cardi, steve Lacey, dev Hinesand Kid Cudi.
Unfortunately, though, virgilpasses away in 2021 due to a
private battle with cancer.
Abloh's impact on the LV spacewas bringing streetwear into the
luxury space, and in 2019,louis Vuitton was named Forbes'
(23:22):
most valuable brand due toAbloh's impact being worth $39.3
billion.
Now the men's artistic directorbase and position until 2023,
when Pharrell Williams was namedthe artistic director of
menswear.
Two years after Virgil'suntimely passing, pharrell
Williams debuts his presentationat Paris Fashion Week in June
(23:46):
2023.
You may know Pharrell Williamsfrom Feeling Happy, where he's
using the Minions as his muse orperhaps the narrator of the
2019 DreamWorks adaptation ofthe Grinch.
Pharrell's history with thebrand dates all the way back to
the early 2000s, when theycollabed on a sunglass line.
His history in the fashionspace in general dates back to
(24:09):
his Billionaire Boys Clubstreetwear brand in 2003.
He creates a movement in thefashion space that has been
previously unseen.
Since coming into the scene,he's already recruited brand
ambassadors.
You may know them Rihanna andLeBron James I know them.
Bron James I know them.
(24:35):
I listened to the Business ofFashion podcast to kind of get
more of a grasp of what's goingon.
This is really the podcast thatignited my interest in Louis
Vuitton.
So during this interview, heexpresses that right now, his
main goal as artistic directoris to highlight communities that
LV attributes a lot of itsrevenue and success from, which
(24:56):
is the Black American.
Wanting to highlight and inviteBlack American culture into the
LV space.
He also mentioned wanting totake LV in a direction not yet
seen before.
In my opinion, pharrell is afabulously talented artist.
I'm so excited to see what hedoes with the brand.
Like I said, his first runwaywas in 2023.
(25:18):
That looked fabulous.
Looking through his collectionas a whole, his style if I had
to describe it, it's wherestreetwear and funk come to get
married in the most beautifulsong and dance.
He seems to be very 70sinspired, which I'm thoroughly
enjoying.
(25:38):
So what's next?
What's next for LV?
We're in present day.
What's the future looking like?
So it seems they have four majorgoals, one being sustainability
.
Louis Vuitton is committed tobecoming a more sustainable
brand, with the goal to achievea 100% eco-design across all
(25:58):
product lines in 2025.
The brand has already madeprogress for using and recycling
about 93% of vents and windowmaterials and using 69%
renewable energy in theirworkshops and logistics.
Louis Vuitton is also workingto replace its coated canvas
(26:20):
with Eco Nylon, a sustainablenylon made from ocean and
landfill waste.
Goal number two they want towork on innovation.
Louis Vuitton will continue tocreate and expand its offerings,
with a focus on a balancingtradition with modernity.
The brand will likely continueto set trends and push
boundaries.
(26:41):
I love to see it.
And then, goal number threerelevance.
Louis Vuitton will need to keepfinding ways to remain relevant
and appeal to the younger crowd.
The brand will need to staytrue to its commitment to
quality and craftsmanship, whileadapting to ever-changing
trends and preferences.
(27:02):
Right now, what I'm seeing isthat Emma Chamberlain is doing a
lot of the heavy lifting as faras the Gen Z crowd.
She's been a brand ambassadorsince, I think, like 2019, where
she goes to like every LouisVuitton event and documents it
and shows the outfits, and Iwould say that's one of my more
(27:28):
hip and like trendy ways thatI've seen and introduced to
Louis Vuitton as a Gen Z.
I think she was the first likeoh, this is more than just a bag
, they also make really cuteclothes.
And the fourth and final goalis they want to be more
integrated in sports.
Louis Vuitton has signed ahistoric deal with Formula One
(27:49):
and played a key role at theParis Olympics and even eyeing
Paris FC for designs, brandpartnerships, collaborations,
what have you.
So LV is pretty stacked.
Looking up, they have nointentions of slowing down
anytime soon.
(28:09):
Looking up, they have nointentions of slowing down
anytime soon, and I'm so excitedto see what the future holds
for them.
Like I said, before doing this,I knew nothing about the brand,
but I really I mean, other thanthe 1940s, that was rough I'm
really impressed by the brand.
I think that they makeincredible designs.
I will be forever a hater ofthe monogram, but historically
(28:33):
that was really revolutionaryfor the time, so I'll give them
credit there.
Um, yeah, I'm, overall, justCan't wait to see what the brand
does.
Next.
I'm really excited for Pharrell.
He has some really cool stuff.
Okay, that was Louis Vuitton.
I hope you enjoyed.
I hope you learned something.
Um, if you want to keep up todate with me, I'll have my links
(28:54):
in the description.
If not, that's okay too.
I know you're just here for theone episode and that's fine,
but until next time, bye guys.
Hi everyone and welcome to Magnifique, your
go-to podcast for all thingsfashion.
I'm your host, gabrielle, andtoday we discuss Louis Vuitton,
a name that has lived in theluxury space for over 150 years.
I was inspired to do a littledeep dive into the history
(00:21):
because I recently found outthat Pharrell Williams was the
new artistic director ofmenswear, and I said hold up,
hold up.
When did this happen?
I don't know much about thecompany, nor do I know much
about Pharrell, but how'd we gethere?
What was the inspiration?
So thus we embark.
(00:43):
Feel free to get cozy, buckleup.
We have an episode for you, solet's just get into it.
On August 4th 1821, in Anche,france, a small village in
eastern France, louis Vuittonwas born, and so was my dog on
(01:06):
this day in 2020, august 4th.
So I don't want to say that mydog is a reincarnation of Louis
Vuitton, but she is a creativegenius.
So who's really to say?
We can't?
It's too early to determine,and, of course, he would have a
self-named brand.
He was a Leo.
Truly, what more did you expect?
(01:26):
I have been reading more intomy astrology, which is so fun
and really just an awesome wayto kickstart this, but I have a
lot more Leo than I anticipated.
So maybe actually I'm thereincarnation of Louis Vuitton.
Have we ever stopped to thinkabout that?
He was born to Xavier Vuittonand Caron Gaillard Caron.
(01:50):
His mother passed away when hewas 10 years old, leaving his
father to remarry a woman whodid not like Louis at all, just
wasn't a big fan.
She was also too strict,leaving Louis with no other
choice but to run away at 13.
Of course, naturally, hetrudged on foot to Paris to
(02:13):
start his new life, and thistrudge took three years to
officially make it.
He collected odd jobs along hisway to support himself, but
finally along his way to supporthimself, but finally, finally
arrived, when he was 16 yearsold in 1837, to Paris, france.
It was here that he startedworking as an apprentice for a
(02:35):
trunk designer, monsieur Marcal.
Back then, the main form oftransportation was horse-drawn
carriages.
Main form of transportation washorse-drawn carriages, boats,
trains, general places that yourluggage would just get thrown
about in every which way.
So craftsmen like Vatan werecalled to pack up and protect
(02:58):
the traveler's objects, and hebecame a highly skilled and
valued craftsman, perfect fordesigning unique and custom
boxes.
He even went on to manage thehighest esteemed clients of
Western Europe, such as NapoleonIII's wife, empress Eugene de
Montego, and he stayed workingwith Monsieur for 17 years
(03:23):
before leaving to start his ownbusiness ventures.
In this new business venture,he started by creating travel
boxes of his own and dedicatinghis brand to the flat-top trunk.
The flat-top trunk becomes hissignature move, so let's keep an
eye on that Around this time.
(03:44):
He also gets married to ClemensEmil Parrault soon after
everything went down withMonsieur in 1854.
Now Louis Vuitton's biggestlegacy to date is the invention
of the flat top trunk.
It was introduced in 1859.
(04:04):
Sorry, 1858.
This was revolutionary at thetime because the travel boxes
then were circular and took up agood amount of space.
So I don't know how nobodyinnovated sooner.
But more room for Louis, flattops allowed for stacking, which
(04:25):
saved space and allowedclientele to travel more.
So it was a hit.
Everyone loved it.
People wanted more from him.
So in 1859 Louis Vuitton openedits first location as an
atelier in Osnier, just north ofParis but on the Seine, to
provide for convenience and easeof trade.
(04:46):
This shop started with 20employees but would soon grow to
200 by 1914, and each craftsmanhere worked to create leather
goods and special orders fromclients at the time of Western
Europe, but it turns to all overthe world.
They are a global sensation.
(05:07):
The original atelier includedan expansion space that was used
as a family residencethroughout the years, but it's
now preserved as a privatemuseum, and today this location
is exclusively for very specialorders the most special of the
special.
The next innovation that theLouis Vuitton brand came up with
(05:28):
was the unpickable lock in 1866.
At the time, locks used to besubject to burgling by being
cracked open, but Vuitton'ssingle lock system consisted of
two springs that prevented theability of being picked, and
it's still used today in theirluggage.
The innovation was patented byGeorges Votin after many years
(05:52):
of development, and they were soconfident in its ability to be
unpickable that they invitedHarry Houdini, a famous American
escapologist, to try and escape.
However, houdini did not end updoing so, but the confidence
alone in requesting him is sucha feat in its own.
During the 1870s, theFranco-Prussian War, the demand
(06:17):
for luggage nearly plummeted atthe new workshop, and the
workshop was ransacked,equipment stolen, destroyed,
what have you?
But they prevailed.
They're still creatingmasterpieces to this day.
So every success story hasdownfalls.
I guess In 1880, the label'smost iconic canvas pattern.
(06:41):
You may know her the Damierprint, damier.
This print is seen on nearlyevery Louis Vuitton bag to this
day.
If it's not the LV monogram,it's the Damier print.
Um, to give my two cents,here's my two cents.
I'm paying for it.
Um, I much prefer the Damierprint.
(07:02):
I think it's more minimal.
But if I had to make theultimate choice, I'd prefer
something even more low-key inthat I'd prefer something
unbranded.
Perhaps just a personalpreference.
The monogram and the Damierprint.
Too loud for me.
What can I say?
(07:22):
I'm just a girl of quietluxuries who owns nothing from
this brand.
So who am I to talk?
How about that?
In 1892, we see the sudden deathof Mr Louis Vuitton at the age
of 70 due to cancer, and his son, georges, succeeds him as the
company head.
(07:42):
But Georges had a mission forthe company and it was to make
Louis Vuitton a worldwide brandname.
And he takes the LV luggageline to the 1893 Chicago World's
Fair where he meets JohnWanamaker, a US businessman, to
bring LV to the US markets andthe American department stores.
And this is the start of LV'seventual global influence.
(08:07):
He just had to die for hisglobal influence to kick in.
I don't need to say that In1896, the brand debuted its
signature monogram bag, the LVmonogram.
You've seen her, you love her.
This pattern was created tofend off any attempts at
(08:28):
counterfeiting the pattern andit was conceptualized once again
by Georgis himself.
I don't like the monogram, Idon't like it, but that's,
that's just me.
Louis Vuitton opened its firstflagship store on the
Champs-Élysées in 1913.
It brought many, many fashionelites to the storefront, ie
(08:52):
Gabrielle, coco Chanel you mayknow her from the dedicated
episode about her and in 1925,she commissioned a handbag which
had not been typical for thebrand but anything for Gabrielle
.
Right In 1930, chanel signedoff for the mass production of
these handbags and you may knowher as the Alma.
(09:15):
I'll say it, the Alma isgorgeous and I would consider it
in an unbranded colorway.
Like I said, I'm so sorry toGeorges, I could not get on
board with the monogram.
It's just not for me.
However, I've seen the Alma inred.
I love her very much.
I love her very much.
I'd like four, I'd like 400million.
Beautiful work, thank you.
(09:36):
Thank you, gabrielle, chanelSoon after we see the release of
the Kapal soft duffel bag in1924.
The year varied.
When I was checking my sources,I saw it in 1924.
I also saw it in 1930.
So either or.
But in 1930, we saw the releaseof the Express, a smaller
(09:57):
version of the Kapal bag.
She was later renamed to theSpeedy and the Speedy bag
remains one of LV's top sellersto this day.
I actually just read a Voguearticle the other day that
boasted about the it Boysstarting to sport it more
casually.
Of course we see Pharrelleverywhere and anywhere with
(10:20):
that thing, but the article mostnotably pointed out that Lebron
james and jacob elordi havebeen spotted out and with the
bag, and while I don't thinkthese two closely share the same
fan base, I think I think theyboth have incredible influence
and what their families leanstowards as far as fashion goes.
(10:42):
So maybe we'll see the beaniebag all around town, maybe it'll
have a TikTok moment.
Here we are in 1936.
Georges Vuitton passes away andhis son, gaston Vuitton, takes
over, and we're in the dreadeddecade of all fashion history.
(11:04):
This is the decade where we seethe most disappointment out of
our beloved brands, the brandLouis Vuitton openly supported
and collaborated with the Naziparty during the German
occupation of France.
This was an endorsement by themembers of the Vuitton family,
and this factoid was largelyleft undiscussed until Stefani
(11:28):
Bonvichini released a bookcalled Louis Vuitton A French
Saga, and in the book it saysthat members of the Vuitton
family actively supported thepuppet government led by Marshal
Philippe Pétain and made somemoney from their business
dealing with the Germans.
Bonvettini says that she wasgiven full cooperation by the
(11:50):
film when she proposed writingthis book a year ago.
But when she asked about itswartime activities she was told
that the company documents fromthe year 1930 to 1945 destroyed
in a fire.
Sorry about that, we just setit on fire.
From historical archives shediscovered that Louis Vuitton
had a store on the ground floorof the fabulous property Hotel
(12:13):
du Parc in Vichy where Vuittonset up his puppet government.
While the other shopkeepers,including jewelers like Van
Cleef, were shut down, vatan wasallowed to stay open.
I wonder why.
But the author of the book saysthat she talked to surviving
members and found that Vatan'sgrandson Gaston, the wartime
(12:37):
head of the company, hadinstructed his eldest son, henry
, to forge links to the bigVatan regime to keep the
business going.
So whether or not they likefully supported them, they fully
acted in accordance with them.
So not loving that kind ofdisappointed.
So we move on to 1970.
(12:59):
30 years later, gaston Louispasses away and leaves the reins
of the company to hisson-in-law, henri Racamier.
Racamier, who's to say In 1984,the brand continues toward
expansion by becoming a publiclytraded company due to the
(13:19):
financial recommendation ofJoseph Lafont, their financial
advisor director.
Recommendation of Joseph Lafont,their financial advisor
director.
Under the stewardship of GastonLouis Vuitton, it expanded its
offerings into luxury leathergoods and under his reign as
well, the brand grew from afamily-run business to a global
(13:40):
brand with stores all around theworld.
But now that Henri Racamier isthe head.
In 1987, louis Vuitton mergedwith Moet Hennessy, creating
LVMH.
The conglomerate is co-foundedby Moet Hennessy's CEO Alain
Chevalier, louis Vuitton'spresident Henri Racamier and
(14:02):
French investor Bernard Arnold.
Henri Racamier and Frenchinvestor Bernard Arnault.
The move cements LV'sinternational reputation amongst
the growth and reputation ofthe MH portion of the merger.
During and after this yes, Iknow what I said there was an
internal company turmoil.
Bernard Arnault successfullyousted Racamier from the company
(14:27):
and the LVMH board in 1989.
Bernard wanted more stake in,say, the conglomerate.
He said I'm going to be selfish, I'm going to do a selfish move
right now.
Oust this man.
So in 96, it was the 100-yearanniversary of the monogram
canvas, so Louis Vuittoncollaborated with six top
(14:49):
designers from the world tocreate unique iterations of the
luggage.
This results in variousdisplays and world capitals to
share the innovation withfashion lovers across the world.
So what did we have?
We had a vinyl box by HelmutLang, hiking bag from Romeo
Gigli, shoe trunk from ManoloBlahnik, weekend bag from Isaac
(15:13):
Mizrahi, bustle bag from VivianWestwood, loving that.
So that's kind of where theycame from.
Let's talk about where they go.
Where did you come from?
Where did you go?
Where did they go?
Cotton Eye, joe.
Let's talk about their artisticdirectors, because they have
various eras of artisticdirectors and they do really
(15:35):
incredible things with each.
So let's talk about 1997.
Marc Jacobs joins LV as theartistic director of Women's
Wear.
Mark Jacobs joins LV as theartistic director of women's
wear.
Not long after, in 1998, louisVuitton debuts the first
(15:56):
ready-to-wear line of thebrand's being.
Mark Jacobs was born in New Yorkin 1963.
He was brought up by hispaternal grandmother.
His grandmother saw hiscreative spark and instilled the
art of sewing and knitting inhim at a young age.
She really wanted him toflourish in his field.
This creative spark turned intoa passion for fashion and he
attends High School of Art andDesign and later attends Parsons
(16:19):
School of Design.
When he was not in school heworked as a storekeeper
charivari, an upper west sideconcept store.
He remained a high achiever atjust age 25 when he was
appointed artistic director ofperry ellis, creating a largely
controversial grunge collection,and due to this he was
(16:42):
immediately dismissed from hisrole.
But they kind of flopped therebecause his controversial grunge
collection received a ravingreview from Miss Anna Wintour
herself.
Perhaps with the win of Anna,it's kind of hard to determine
he wins his first ever Women'sWear Designer of the Year award
from the Council of FashionDesigners of America.
(17:04):
So now that he's at LouisVuitton, he also brings his
grungy alternative aura.
He continues to innovate thebrand by launching LV Jewelry in
2001.
The Charm Bracelet was thefirst piece that he debuted.
I don't know Angelina Jolie,scarlett Johansson, jennifer
Lawrence nope, jennifer Lopezall as ambassadors of LB Jewelry
(17:36):
.
He would also go on tocollaborate with artists, such
as 2001 Steven Sprouse, tocreate a line of limited edition
bags.
He customized bags withSprouse's signature graffiti and
he offered select pieces toonly VIP LV clientele.
And then he also collaboratedin 2002 with Takashi Murakami,
(18:01):
with a new line of monogrammulticolored bags and
accessories.
You've seen this.
You have seen it everywhere andit's honestly making a comeback
.
With y2k, you wanted to appealto a younger audience by
displaying a colorful 33 colorsto be exact lv monogram on a
black and white colored canvasbag.
Um, I'll post it on myinstagram story if you need a
(18:26):
visual, but it's a whitetypically.
It's what?
Typically?
From what I've seen, a whitecanvas bag with the rainbow LV
logo monogram.
You've definitely seen it, butI'll show you a picture.
And then we come to 2007,.
The one, the only Neverfull wasintroduced.
With the ability to carry up to200 pounds, it is arguably one
(18:49):
of LV's most sought-after bagsin the modern era.
I, before knowing anythingabout LV, I have exclusively
heard about the Neverfull.
It is people's dream bag.
They really want the Neverfull.
It's huge, it's massive.
It never appealed to me, but Ithink it is very pretty.
I like the red lining.
It never appealed to me, but Ithink it is very pretty.
I like the red lining.
(19:10):
Well, I think the red lining isspecial, right?
Marc Jacobs has been on my minda lot recently, mainly because
he guest-edited the Decemberissue of Vogue with Anna Wintour
, and I just think he's fabulous.
His vision is chef's kiss.
The way he walks into anyfashion sector just pops off.
(19:30):
Kiss your brain.
Mark jacobs, you are phenomenal.
Let me know if you guys want anin-depth episode about him.
I think he is so spectacular.
So mark jacob leaves.
He leaves 2013.
He steps away so that he canfocus on his own brand.
You may know it, marc Jacobs.
So what do we do now that MarcJacobs is gone, nicolas Jaskier
(19:59):
takes over.
He was previously the creativedirector at Balenciaga.
He was born in 1971 in Cominesand he makes his first fashion
appearance at age 15, withhonestly many apprenticeships,
but his big break was in 1991.
After finishing his schooling,he became the creative assistant
at Jean-Paul Gaultier.
He would go on to joinBalenciaga in 1995, only to
(20:23):
become the creative director by1997.
There he's known for hisfuturistic designs and
silhouettes, while maintainingsomehow Parisian chic.
He won his first Best Designerof the Year award from CDFA in
2001, and he receives FashionInnovator Award of the Year in
(20:44):
2011 by the Wall Street Journal.
He also brings the LouisVuitton shows across the world.
You may have seen him in theLouvre in Paris, the Jean-Sugio
Bridge in Seoul and then the NewYork TWA Flight Center in 2019.
He remains the artisticdirector of womenswear to this
(21:05):
day and I'd say he still remainspushing the boundaries of the
futuristic meets modern in avery beautiful and elegant way.
I really respect the work he'sdone.
But now let's get into menswear.
How about?
Kim Jones was originally theartistic director of menswear,
(21:27):
but he left in 2018 to pursueCreative Director of Dior Homme.
You may recognize Virgil Abloh'sname from being the founder of
Off-White.
He succeeds Jones in theposition in 2018.
Now Off-White is a streetwearbrand garnering many successful
collaborations, and isassociated with Nike, jimmy Choo
(21:48):
, kith Concept and Ikea.
Abloh's success in building andbranding Off-White was what
made him so attractive to the LVbrand and LVMH.
A little bit about Virgil Abloh.
He was born in Rockford,illinois, in 1980.
He's a man of many trades.
He's an artist, he's anarchitect, an engineer, a
(22:12):
creative director and a designer.
He's a trained architect fromthe University of Wisconsin in
symbol engineering and he's pals, or was pals, with Kanye West.
Abloh served as a creativedirector for Kanye West until
launching his own label, pyPyrex Vision, in 2012.
Abloh's been in the fashionconscious space since 2009, when
(22:38):
he opened his RSVP Galleryconcept store in Chicago, and
he's been on the minds of LVMHsince 2015, when he was among
the finalists of the LVMH PrizeAward to design Jacques Meus and
Marquise Almeria.
Abloh's debut presentationfeatures walks from Thaybar
(23:00):
Cardi, steve Lacey, dev Hinesand Kid Cudi.
Unfortunately, though, virgilpasses away in 2021 due to a
private battle with cancer.
Abloh's impact on the LV spacewas bringing streetwear into the
luxury space, and in 2019,louis Vuitton was named Forbes'
(23:22):
most valuable brand due toAbloh's impact being worth $39.3
billion.
Now the men's artistic directorbase and position until 2023,
when Pharrell Williams was namedthe artistic director of
menswear.
Two years after Virgil'suntimely passing, pharrell
Williams debuts his presentationat Paris Fashion Week in June
(23:46):
2023.
You may know Pharrell Williamsfrom Feeling Happy, where he's
using the Minions as his muse orperhaps the narrator of the
2019 DreamWorks adaptation ofthe Grinch.
Pharrell's history with thebrand dates all the way back to
the early 2000s, when theycollabed on a sunglass line.
His history in the fashionspace in general dates back to
(24:09):
his Billionaire Boys Clubstreetwear brand in 2003.
He creates a movement in thefashion space that has been
previously unseen.
Since coming into the scene,he's already recruited brand
ambassadors.
You may know them Rihanna andLeBron James I know them.
Bron James I know them.
(24:35):
I listened to the Business ofFashion podcast to kind of get
more of a grasp of what's goingon.
This is really the podcast thatignited my interest in Louis
Vuitton.
So during this interview, heexpresses that right now, his
main goal as artistic directoris to highlight communities that
LV attributes a lot of itsrevenue and success from, which
(24:56):
is the Black American.
Wanting to highlight and inviteBlack American culture into the
LV space.
He also mentioned wanting totake LV in a direction not yet
seen before.
In my opinion, pharrell is afabulously talented artist.
I'm so excited to see what hedoes with the brand.
Like I said, his first runwaywas in 2023.
(25:18):
That looked fabulous.
Looking through his collectionas a whole, his style if I had
to describe it, it's wherestreetwear and funk come to get
married in the most beautifulsong and dance.
He seems to be very 70sinspired, which I'm thoroughly
enjoying.
(25:38):
So what's next?
What's next for LV?
We're in present day.
What's the future looking like?
So it seems they have four majorgoals, one being sustainability
.
Louis Vuitton is committed tobecoming a more sustainable
brand, with the goal to achievea 100% eco-design across all
(25:58):
product lines in 2025.
The brand has already madeprogress for using and recycling
about 93% of vents and windowmaterials and using 69%
renewable energy in theirworkshops and logistics.
Louis Vuitton is also workingto replace its coated canvas
(26:20):
with Eco Nylon, a sustainablenylon made from ocean and
landfill waste.
Goal number two they want towork on innovation.
Louis Vuitton will continue tocreate and expand its offerings,
with a focus on a balancingtradition with modernity.
The brand will likely continueto set trends and push
boundaries.
(26:41):
I love to see it.
And then, goal number threerelevance.
Louis Vuitton will need to keepfinding ways to remain relevant
and appeal to the younger crowd.
The brand will need to staytrue to its commitment to
quality and craftsmanship, whileadapting to ever-changing
trends and preferences.
(27:02):
Right now, what I'm seeing isthat Emma Chamberlain is doing a
lot of the heavy lifting as faras the Gen Z crowd.
She's been a brand ambassadorsince, I think, like 2019, where
she goes to like every LouisVuitton event and documents it
and shows the outfits, and Iwould say that's one of my more
(27:28):
hip and like trendy ways thatI've seen and introduced to
Louis Vuitton as a Gen Z.
I think she was the first likeoh, this is more than just a bag
, they also make really cuteclothes.
And the fourth and final goalis they want to be more
integrated in sports.
Louis Vuitton has signed ahistoric deal with Formula One
(27:49):
and played a key role at theParis Olympics and even eyeing
Paris FC for designs, brandpartnerships, collaborations,
what have you.
So LV is pretty stacked.
Looking up, they have nointentions of slowing down
anytime soon.
(28:09):
Looking up, they have nointentions of slowing down
anytime soon, and I'm so excitedto see what the future holds
for them.
Like I said, before doing this,I knew nothing about the brand,
but I really I mean, other thanthe 1940s, that was rough I'm
really impressed by the brand.
I think that they makeincredible designs.
I will be forever a hater ofthe monogram, but historically
(28:33):
that was really revolutionaryfor the time, so I'll give them
credit there.
Um, yeah, I'm, overall, justCan't wait to see what the brand
does.
Next.
I'm really excited for Pharrell.
He has some really cool stuff.
Okay, that was Louis Vuitton.
I hope you enjoyed.
I hope you learned something.
Um, if you want to keep up todate with me, I'll have my links
(28:54):
in the description.
If not, that's okay too.
I know you're just here for theone episode and that's fine,
but until next time, bye guys.
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