Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton (pronounced Lui Vuitõ), is a French luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, from luxury handbags and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes, watches, jewelry, accessories, sunglasses and books. Louis Vuitton is one of the world's leading international fashion houses. She sells her products through independent boutiques, department stores in high-end department stores, and through the e-commerce section of her website.
For six consecutive years, from 2006 to 2012, Louis Vuitton was ranked the world's most valuable luxury brand. In 2017, its brand valuation was 29,242 million US dollars, which makes it the most valuable luxury brand in the world according to the BrandZ ranking. It has been the main sponsor of the Copa América for 30 years,[ when?] owns 445 stores in 62 countries.
History
Road to World War II
The Louis Vuitton brand was founded by Vuitton in 1854 on Rue Neuve des Capucines in Paris, France. Louis Vuitton had observed a type of material (HJ Cave Osilite) that could be easily stacked and in 1858, Vuitton introduced his trunk with "Trianon" canvas, thus beginning a lighter and more airtight design. Many other trunk and suitcase designers imitated LV's style and design.
In 1867, the company participated in the World's Fair in Paris. To avoid copying his style, Vuitton changed the Trianon design to a beige and brown striped design in 1876. In 1885, the company opened its first store in London, on Oxford Street. Soon after, due to continued imitation of his design, in 1888, Vuitton created the Damier Canvas pattern, which bore an insignia reading: "marque L. Vuitton déposée& #34;, which translates as "L. Vuitton trademark". In 1892, Louis Vuitton died, and management of the company passed to his son Georges Vuitton.
After his father's death, Georges Vuitton began a campaign to make the company multinational, displaying the company's products at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. In 1896, the company launched monogram canvas and he registered worldwide patents for his firm. His graphic symbols, including quatrefoils and flowers (as well as the LV monogram), are based on the trend of using Japanese and Oriental designs in the late Victorian era. The patents They later turned out to be successful in stopping counterfeiting. In this same year, Georges traveled to the United States, where he toured cities such as New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, promoting the sale of Vuitton products. In 1901, the Louis Vuitton company introduced the cabin bag, a small piece of luggage designed to be kept inside Vuitton luggage trunks.
In 1913, the Louis Vuitton building opened on the Champs-Élysées. It was the largest travel goods store in the world at the time. Other stores also opened in New York, Bombay, Washington, London, Alexandria, and Buenos Aires at the same time that World War I began. Then, in 1930, the Keepall bag was introduced. During 1932, LV introduced the Noah bag. This bag was originally designed for French champagne vintners to transport bottles. Soon after, the Louis Vuitton Speedy bag was introduced (both are still made today.) In 1936, Georges Vuitton died, and his son, Gaston-Louis Vuitton, took over the company. company.
Collaborationism
During World War II, Louis Vuitton collaborated with the Nazis during the German occupation of France. The French book Louis Vuitton, written by French journalist Stephanie Bonvicini and published by Editions Fayard, in Paris, explains how members of the Vuitton family actively aided the French puppet government headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain and the increase in his business wealth due to business dealings with the Germans. The family set up a factory dedicated to the production of artifacts glorifying Pétain, including more than 2,500 busts.
Caroline Babulle, a spokeswoman for Fayard publishing, said: "They have not contested anything in the book, but are trying to bury it by pretending it doesn't exist." In response to the book's publication in 2004, a spokesperson for Fayard LVMH said: “This is ancient history. The book covers a period when it was just a family, long before it became part of LVMH. We are diverse, tolerant and all the things that a modern company should be". exaggerated what happened in Vichy, we have not put any pressure on anyone. If journalists want to censor themselves, then... we will adapt well». That publication was the only French newspaper to mention the book. LVMH is the largest advertiser in the French press.
1945 to 2000
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During this period, Louis Vuitton began incorporating leather into most of its products, ranging from small purses to large pieces of luggage. In order to expand its line, in 1959, the company revamped its monogram fabric to make it more flexible, allowing it to be used on purses, bags, and wallets. It is believed that in the 1920s, counterfeiting became a problem again that continued and intensified through the 21st century. In 1966, the Papillon (a cylindrical bag that is still popular today) was launched. By 1977, they had annual revenues of up to 70 million francs ($14.27 million). A year later, the label opened its first stores in Japan: in Tokyo and Osaka. In 1983, the company joined the America's Cup to form the Louis Vuitton Cup, a preliminary competition (known as a knockout regatta) for yacht racing. Louis Vuitton later expanded its presence in Asia with the opening of a store in Taipei, Taiwan in 1983 and in Seoul, South Korea in 1984. The following year, 1985, the Epi leather line was introduced.
LVMH was created in 1987. Moët et Chandon and Hennessy, the leading manufacturers of champagne and cognac, merged with Louis Vuitton to form a luxury goods conglomerate. Profits for the year 1988 were up to 49% more than in 1987. By 1989, Louis Vuitton came to operate 130 stores worldwide. Entering the 1990s, Yves Carcelle was appointed chairman of BT, and in 1992, his brand opened its first Chinese store in the Palace Hotel in Beijing. Other products such as the Taiga leather line in 1993, and the literature collection of “Voyager Avec...” were introduced in 1994. In 1996, the Monogram TV Centennial celebration was held in seven cities of the world.
In 1997, Louis Vuitton appointed Marc Jacobs its artistic director. In March of the following year, he designed and introduced the "prêt-à-porter" from the men's and women's clothing company. Also this year, product introductions included the Monogram Vernis line, LV scrapbooks, and the Louis Vuitton city guide.
The last events of the 20th century were the launch of Monograma's mini line in 1999, the opening of the first shop in Africa in Marrakech, Morocco, in 2000, and finally the auction at the Venice International Film Festival, Italy, where the "amfAR" designed by Sharon Stone was sold with proceeds going to the Foundation for AIDS Research.
2001 to 2011
In 2001, Stephen Sprouse, in collaboration with Marc Jacobs, designed a limited-edition line of Vuitton bags, which featured graffiti writing over the monogram pattern. In the graffiti you can read the name of the brand or in certain bags, the name of this (such as Keepall and Speedy). The pieces that featured the graffiti without the Monogram canvas background were only available on Louis Vuitton's VIP client list. Jacobs also created the "Charm Bracelet," the first piece of LV jewelry in that same year.
In 2002, the Tambour watch collection was introduced. During this year, the LV building in the Ginza district of Tokyo also opened, and the brand collaborated with Bob Wilson for its Christmas scenery. In 2003, Takashi Murakami, in collaboration with Marc Jacobs, led Monogram's new range of multicolored bags and accessories. This range includes the same standard fabric monograms, but in 33 different colors with a black or white background. (The classic canvas features gold monograms on a brown background.) Murakami also created the cherry blossom pattern, which appeared only on a limited number of pieces, it was the caricature of smiley faces above the center of the blossoms on the canvas. cherry tree in the colors pink and yellow. Production of this limited edition was discontinued in June 2003. Within that year, stores in Moscow, Russia, and in New Delhi, India were opened, the Utah and Suhali leather lines were created, and it was celebrated on 20 th anniversary of the LV Cup.
In 2004, Louis Vuitton celebrated its 150th anniversary. The brand has also opened stores in New York City (on Fifth Avenue), São Paulo, Mexico City, Cancun and Johannesburg. It also opened its first global store in Shanghai. In 2005, Louis Vuitton reopened its Champs-Élysées store in Paris designed by American architect Eric Carlson (reputed to be the largest and most successful LV store in the world), and launched the Speedy watch collection.. In 2006, LV celebrated the opening of the "Espace Louis Vuitton" on its 7th floor. In 2008, Louis Vuitton launched the Damier graphite canvas, this offers the classic Damier pattern but in black and gray, giving it a masculine look and an urban touch. In 2010, Louis Vuitton opened what it described as its most luxurious store in London.
In early 2011, Louis Vuitton hired Kim Jones as its "Mens Ready-to-Wear Style and Studio Director. She became the menswear designer while working under the company-wide artistic direction of Marc Jacobs.
ON September 17, 2011, Louis Vuitton opened its first Island Maison (Island Mansion) in Singapore, the first house to be opened in Southeast Asia.
2012 to present
In September 2013, the company hired Darren Spaziani to lead its accessories collection. On November 4, 2013, the company confirmed that Nicolas Ghesquière had been hired to replace Marc Jacobs as artistic director of the women's collections. The first Ghesquière line for the company was shown in Paris in March 2014. On April 7, 2014, Edouard Schneider became Louis Vuitton's head of press and public relations under Frédéric Winckler, who is Vuitton's director of communications and events.
Advertising campaigns
The Louis Vuitton company carefully cultivates its celebrity following and has used models, musicians and actors alike for its campaigns. Especially noteworthy are Keith Richards, Madonna, Sean Connery, Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Williams, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jennifer Connelly, Hayden Christensen, Angelina Jolie, Gisele Bündchen; and David Bowie in their marketing campaigns. In a break with its usual cast of supermodels and celebrities, on August 2, 2007, the company announced that former USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev would appear in an ad campaign alongside Steffi Graf and Catherine Deneuve. Numerous rappers, such as Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa, have named the company in some of their songs. The company often uses print ads in magazines and billboards in large cities. The Louis Vuitton posters created by Razzia were very popular in the 1980s. He previously relied on specially selected press for his advertising campaigns (often involving prestigious stars such as Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Gisele Bündchen and Catherine Deneuve) photographed by Annie Leibovitz. However, Antoine Arnault, director of the communication department, decided at the beginning of the XXI century to enter the world of television and from the cinema: The commercial (90 seconds) studying the subject "Where will life take you?" and translated into 13 different languages. This was Vuitton's first commercial ad and was directed by renowned French director Bruno Aveillan.
Brand
The Louis Vuitton brand and the famous LV monogram are among the world's most valuable brands. According to a 2010 Millward Brown study, Louis Vuitton is the 19th most valuable brand in the world, right after Gillette and formerly of Wells Fargo. The brand itself is estimated to be worth more than $19 billion. For six consecutive years, Louis Vuitton topped the list of the ten most powerful brands published by Millward Brown Optimor's BrandZ study; according to the 2011 study, Louis Vuitton was worth $24.3 billion, more than double the value of the second-ranked brand.
Louis Vuitton is one of the most frequently counterfeited brands in the fashion world due to its image as a symbol of high status. Ironically, its signature monogram fabric was created to avoid counterfeiting. In 2004, counterfeit Louis Vuitton accounted for 18% of counterfeit accessories seized in the European Union.
The company takes the fight against counterfeiting very seriously, employing a team of lawyers and special investigative agencies to actively search for criminals through courts around the world. half of its communication budget to counter the counterfeiting of its products. LVMH (Vuitton's parent company) confirmed this by stating: "60 people at various levels of responsibility work full-time in the fight against counterfeiting, in collaboration with a wide network of external investigators and a team of lawyers". The company closely controls the distribution of its products. Until the 1980s, Vuitton products were widely sold in department stores (for example, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue). Today, Vuitton products are only available in authentic Louis Vuitton boutiques, with a small number of exceptions. These boutiques are commonly found in high-end shopping districts or within high-end department stores. LV has recently launched an online store, through its main website, as an authorized channel to market its products. In 2006, the company attempted to have the LV.com domain name compulsorily transferred to that of its American owner, that action failed and the domain was later acquired by LV=, an English friendly society/insurance company.
Products
Since the 19th century, the manufacture of Louis Vuitton products has not changed: Luggage is still made by hand. Contemporary Fashion Previews the Creation of LV Trunks: " The craftsmen line the leather and canvas, and secure the five solid letters of the bronze locks - each key to the lock is individually handcrafted, designed to allow the traveler to have a single key for all their luggage. The wooden frames of each chest are made from 30-year-old poplar, which has been allowed to dry for at least four years. Each trunk has a serial number and can take up to 60 hours to manufacture and a suitcase, on the other hand, up to 15 hours".
Louis Vuitton's most iconic bags include the Speedy bag and the Neverfull bags. Each season Louis Vuitton produces different limited edition bags that are generally only available by reservation through large Louis Vuitton stores.[citation needed]
All of the company's products bear the eponymous LV initials and most use brown-toned materials. The company markets its products through its own stores located around the world, allowing it to control product quality and prices. It also allows LV to prevent counterfeit products from entering its distribution channels. In addition, the company distributes its products through the company's own website, LouisVuitton.com.
Louis Vuitton opened its first store at Seoul Incheon International Airport towards the end of 2011.[citation needed]
Special collaborations
Louis Vuitton has had numerous collaborations with prominent artists and designers. Takashi Murakami created a special edition, like the Monogramuflage collection, this one was released in 2008, also the previous collection was released in 2002 and featured some of his projects. The creations were "painted" on the canvas of the initial monogram, which put a radical twist on the timeless design. Marc Jacobs also commemorates a previous collection, designed by Stephen Sprouse. This collection, originally launched in 2001, appears painted on the traditional canvas. The recreation of the collab uses the same idea but gave it a little twist by incorporating bright colors like pink, neon green and orange. This version was launched in 2009, becoming very popular. Louis Vuitton also collaborated with Kanye West in 2009, designing his own limited run of shoes. Jacobs recently teamed up with Yayoi Kusama to create the "Infininetly Kusama" it features vivid colors of dots on vernis leather or monogram canvas. These pieces come in black with white dots, red with white dots, and yellow with black dots, it was released in July 2012.
Controversy and disputes
Britney Spears video
On November 19, 2007, Louis Vuitton continued with its counterfeiting issues, in this case successfully suing Britney Spears for violating counterfeiting laws, in part of her music video "Do Something& #3. 4; Louis Vuitton Cherry Blossom appears with the LV logo. A civil court in Paris ordered Sony BMG and MTV Online to stop showing the video, they were also fined €80,000. An anonymous spokesperson for LVMH called the video an "attack" towards Louis Vuitton brands and their luxury image.
Simple Life
On February 13, 2007, Louis Vuitton issued a cease and desist order against Nadia Plesner, a Danish student, for using an image of a bag that allegedly infringed Louis Vuitton's property rights. Plesner created a satirical illustration titled "Simple Living" in English, depicting a malnourished boy with a dog and a designer bag, and she used t-shirts and posters to raise money for an organization called 'Divest for Darfur'.
On March 25, the Court ruled that the displayed image was a clear violation of copyright, but despite this the student continued to use the image arguing artistic freedom, and published copies of the cease and desist order and withdrawal on its website.
On April 25, 2008, Louis Vuitton notified Plesner of the lawsuit that was filed against it, demanding $7,500 (€5,000) for each day that Plesner continues to sell the "Simple Living", $7,500 per each day his lawsuit was published and $7,500 for using the Louis Vuitton name on his website, plus legal costs.
An LVMH spokeswoman interviewed by New York Magazine said Louis Vuitton was forced to take legal action when Plesner did not respond to the original request to remove the controversial image, after the cease and desist order and withdrawal. In October 2008, Louis Vuitton stated that the company had canceled its lawsuit but subsequently reopened it with a new claim for €205,000 due to a painting by the same artist. In May 2011, the Court of La Haya ruled in favor of Plesner, that is, in favor of freedom of expression.
Artisan Ads
In May 2010, the UK's advertising standards authority banned two advertisements for the company, featuring artisans working on its products, as a breach of the 'truthfulness clause'. The ASA said the evidence provided by Louis Vuitton fell short of what it needed to show that the products were handmade. The ASA said the two ads would lead consumers to interpret that Louis Vuitton handbags and purses were almost entirely handmade, when they were mostly created by machine. The ASA said it had been noted that they were not aware of any documentation detailing the entire production process for Louis Vuitton products or showing the proportion of production that is carried out by hand or by machine.
Vuitton denied that its products were created by machine, arguing that more than 100 people were involved in making each bag, however, they admitted that they had used sewing machines in some production process.
Checkered chair in a Hong Kong hair salon
In February 2013, Louis Vuitton issued a complaint against the owner of a Hong Kong barbershop for allegedly violating its intellectual property rights in relation to a stool with the covering fabric that is similar to the checkered pattern on handbags. Louis Vuitton. According to Apple's Hong Kong daily newspaper, the company was seeking compensation of HK$25,000 (about US$3,200) and the publication of an apology in the form of a newspaper ad. Faced with this accusation, the owner of the hair salon said that he had no means to deal with Louis Vuitton and that he had to close his shop which had been running for 1 year in a remote district on Hong Kong Island. The controversy had caused great concern on Hong Kong news forums and the protest went viral on Facebook pages.
Copyright S-Lock Designs in Hong Kong
In another legal notice to Sep 2012, Louis Vuitton filed complaints against two small stores in Hong Kong for allegedly violating their property rights in connection with the "S-Lock" Louis Vuitton handbag design. According to Apple's Hong Kong daily newspaper, the company was seeking compensation of HK$40,000 (about US$5,000) and a public apology in the newspaper. The merchant refused to pay, and Louis Vuitton demanded further damages up to HK$150,000 in February 2013.
Weight Discrimination
A Danish model named Ulrikke Hoyer was fired from a fashion show in Kyoto at the last minute because the casting director said she had gained weight. The principal reportedly told her that she must starve and drink only water.
News
The company is managed by the LVMH group, whose president is Bernard Arnault. In turn, the company is managed by Patrick Louis Vuitton, who together with internationally renowned designers such as Marc Jacobs has managed to maintain the company's association with luxury and exclusivity. In addition, to the evolution experienced by the brand in its transition from leather goods to luxury products, we must add another sector in which Louis Vuitton has recently made a presence, such as art. The most evident form of this relationship is seen at the opening of the Louis Vuitton Gallery in Macau, People's Republic of China. This gallery frequently hosts exhibitions curated by Jonathan Thompson, such as the one that took place in 2010 under the name Raining Stars and which presented the art of the Liu Dao collective.
In 2023, the singer and music producer Pharrel Williams assumes the position of creative director of Louis Vuitton, information shared through a company statement where he mentions that the rapper will occupy the position "reinforcing his values of innovation, pioneering spirit and entrepreneurial spirit". The rapper has since held the position previously held by Virgil Abloh who passed away in 2021.
In March 2023, Louis Vuitton launches its first collection for babies with "...a selection of timeless pieces for everyday life and special occasions, with garments -clothing, shoes, accessories and gifts- up to the twelve months that borrow the codes of the luxury house".
Gallery
Louis Vuitton Shop in Moscow in Russia
Louis Vuitton Shop Ekaterimburg in Russia
Hong Kong Louis Vuitton Shop in China
Tōkyō Shop in Japan
Kōbe Shop in Japan
5th Avenue, NYC, 2013
Shop of Madrid
