Carla rodriguez
08/04/2021 13:56
Clarín.com
Live
Updated 08/04/2021 1:57 PM
Two hundred years ago, on August 4, 1821,
a talented boy
named Louis Vuitton was
born in Anchay, a small French town
.
He was the son of a milliner, who died when he was barely 10 years old, and of a peasant father who remarried shortly after he was widowed, something that marked him in his childhood and made him
leave his paternal home at the age of 13
to move. to Paris.
Legend has it that the 470-kilometer journey was done on foot, and it took him two years, during which time he
lived in shelters
and did trades to eat.
Surely at that time he never thought, not by chance, that his name was going to become synonymous with luxury: in the 21st century his monogram LV
heads a company whose subject is glamor
and is considered the most valuable in the world, according to
BrandZ Global
.
Wanda Nara was a VIP guest of the brand at Fashion Week 2020. Photo: Clarín Archive.
The one who had a vision of the future was the Empress Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III: she hired him in 1853 as her exclusive manufacturer of suitcases and trunks.
It was
his first famous client
.
And a sign of what was about to happen.
Over the years, personalities from all walks of life and generations would pass through the Vuitton universe: Diego Maradona, Angelina Jolie, Naomi Campbell, Jennifer López, Catherine Deneuve, Keith Richards, Kim Kardashian and David Bowie, among many more.
The list of those who have a Vuitton outfit, be it a purse, a purse, a backpack or a suitcase, is endless, and
includes our Susana and Cristina
.
Empress Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III, hired him in 1853 as her exclusive manufacturer of suitcases and trunks.
It was his first famous client.
Not to mention the always excessive Wanda Nara, who turned out to be
a VIP guest of the brand in Paris
when Fashion Week was held last year, in addition to the fact that a few months ago, she exhibited a pink
Twist Bag
model purse
, which is sold at about 600,000 pesos.
LV luggage, an always glamorous classic.
Photo: Clarín Archive.
But minute by minute, stellar names continue to be added.
For example, the young French actor Timothée Chalamet, a spoiled child at the last Cannes Film Festival and representative of the
genderless
generation
(no gender defined), did not want to miss the dinner that the brand organized a few weeks ago in Paris to show
its new men's collection.
created by the African American Virgil Abloh, one of the designers of the moment (he is the favorite of David Beckham).
Under the direction of artist Jeff Koons, LV launched “Masters” in 2017: bags and accessories with images of classic works of art.Photo: Courtesy LV.
The French firm is
one of the most influential on the
current
fashion map
, which passes through Paris, Milan and New York, but also through Shanghai, Moscow, Dubai, São Paulo and Berlin, where the upper middle classes need to show their difference with the uniform mass that remains fashionable.
It's been known for a long time (and you don't have to be an expert on the subject to figure it out) that Vuitton is much more than just the latest wallet model worn
by celebrities on red carpets
, models on magazine covers, and influencers on social networks.
The famous French surname is currently synonymous with art and not only because of
the alliance it has made in recent years with prominent artists
.
He has a Foundation in Paris (in the Bois de Boulogne, precisely), with a museum included, dedicated to contemporary art.
The building was built by Frank Gehry and cost 143 million dollars.
There is an organic sculpture (with living plants) by the Argentine artist Adrián Villar Rojas.
The famous French surname is currently synonymous with art and not only because of the alliance it has made in recent years with prominent artists.
The brand is also linked to the world of sports and this transcends the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo and his wife Georgina Rodríguez or the Nara-Icardi couple get on their private jets with Vuitton suitcases, or that they have
a capsule collection with the NBA
with clothes and luxury accessories for basketball players.
In 2014, FIFA asked him to build a travel case for the World Cup.
Gorbachev in a surprise Vuitton ad.
The brand unites celebrities with officials and new rich characters.
Photo: Clarín Archive.
Impossible not to mention his relationship with the cinema, since this year he is part of
Cruella
, one of the box office successes.
The evil heroine, played by Emma Stone, wears in one of the scenes a mini bag from the
Capucine
line
,
an edition that was created especially for the film
.
Did little Louis Vuitton have imagined that all of this would happen when he set out on that long road to Paris?
A little history
When he finally arrived in the French capital in 1837, the young Vuitton
became an apprentice to a trunk and box maker
named Romain Maréchal.
He became an expert on the subject and was recognized for his work: in 1854 he opened his own store with a sign on the door that said: “We pack the most fragile objects safely.
Specialized in packing fashions ”.
The business was located in the heart of the very elegant Place Vandôme.
There, the Ritz hotel would be inaugurated shortly after (1875),
the main luxury brands of the time would land
and, already in the 20th century, the legendary designer Coco Chanel would live until her last days.
The Louis Vuitton store on rue Scribe 1, Paris, in 1872. Photo: Clarín Archive.
What was the historical circumstance that would drive the marketing of LV leather goods?
The birth of European tourism
.
In the second half of the 19th century, thanks to transatlantic ships, sleeper trains (the most famous: the
Orient Express
Paris-Istanbul) and, later, automobiles, distances were shortened for those who could afford travel .
The aristocracy left their palaces
in search of cures (spas, mountain airs), since penicillin (and antibiotics) did not yet exist.
And if they had to pack the suitcases, let them be from Louis Vuitton.
When healing tourism gave way to recreational tourism, especially with the arrival of the first airliners, and luxury hotels were an object of desire,
the need for distinguished luggage deepened
and LV's growth became exponential.
To begin with, the entrepreneur created square and rectangular models that could be stackable (previously trunks had a curved “back”), then he added inviolable locks (robberies were plague) and in 1858 he marked a milestone: he manufactured them in Trianon canvas, something that it made them more
airtight, lightweight and waterproof
.
With its LV Shield mask, last year Vuitton proposed a shield against Coronavirus and ultraviolet rays.
Photo: Courtesy LV.
As his competitors were already beginning to imitate his striped designs, in 1888 he presented the
Damier Canvas
design
(with checkerboard-like squares), where his surname appears for the first time written in his work:
“Marque L. Vuitton déposée”
(L. Vuitton, registered trademark) could be clearly read on the sophisticated luggage.
As his competitors were already beginning to imitate his striped designs, in 1888 he introduced the Damier Canvas design (with checkerboard-like squares), where his last name appears for the first time.
That is why, even today, the Vuitton brand symbolizes a romantic moment of aristocratic travel:
when traveling around the world was for the adventurous few
.
Will the current post-pandemic come with a return to that model of travel for elites, the one represented by the LV monogram?
The growth logo
His company grew without stopping: in 1859, Louis Vuitton opened a workshop in Asnières, northwest of Paris, where 20 employees worked.
Meanwhile,
its name was firmly established on the market outside of France
: the brand opened its first store in London in 1885.
In the midst of his professional maelstrom, Vuitton married a woman named Clemence Emilie Parriaux, with whom he
had three children
: Georges, Blanche Amelie, and Emilie Elizabeth.
It was precisely Georges who, in 1896, four years after the death of Louis, at the age of 70,
created the geometric floral monogram in beige and brown in which the initials of his father LV appear
, a logo that remains to this day.
The founder's grandson, Gaston-Louis Vuitton, recalled many years later, in 1965, how his father Georges had created the Monogram canvas motifs: “First of all, the initials of the company (LV) are
intertwined in such a way that are still perfectly legible
.
Then there is a diamond.
To give the shape specific character, he made the sides concave with
a four-petal flower in the center
.
Finally, there is a circle that contains a flower with four rounded petals ”.
Catherine Deneuve, one of the fanatic stars of the LV brand.
Photo: Clarín Archive.
With the monogram that bears the initials of its founder, Georges set out to grow the brand created by his father.
He spent much of his time
visiting various North American cities
to publicize Vuitton products, at the same time as new models of bags were added to complement the traditional trunks, which were the beginning of the empire.
In 1913, the company opened the largest travel goods store in the world on the Champs Elysées, at the same time that
models that were a classic of the brand
were succeeded
, such as the
Speedy
leather bag
, one of the most emblematic , the brown one with the monogram.
It was Audrey Hepburn's favorite for her air travel and is manufactured to this day in different colors.
Georges Vuitton died in 1936. His legacy also includes a travel lock with an
original locking system
that turned the brand's trunks into almost inviolable chests.
In 1913, the company opened the largest travel goods store in the world on the Champs Elysées, at the same time that models that were a classic of the brand were succeeding.
His son Gaston-Louis assumed control of the company just as his father had when his founding grandfather passed away.
In the 1950s, leather was already present in practically all the brand's products, from suitcases to wallets and purses.
Counterfeiting was already a problem
by then
, intensifying as the brand expanded.
In 1970, Gaston Vuitton passed away, and his son-in-law, Henry Racamier, took over the company following
the policy of territorial conquest
.
In 1978, for example, they opened the first stores in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan.
Patrick Louis Vuitton, Louis's great-great-grandson, was the last member of the family to be in the family business: he died in 2019. But in reality,
real power no longer belonged to those who bore the surname
.
The turn of globalization
In the late 1980s, the brand continued to grow, but something happened in 1987 that marked
a break in the history of Vuitton and its heirs
.
They partnered with the Moët & Chandon group and Hennessy, creating the luxury conglomerate LVMH, chaired by Bernard Arnault.
Bernard Arnault is a major shareholder and director of the luxury group LVMH, which contains Louis Vuitton.
Photo: Clarín Archive.
With the merger, globalization came in the blink of an eye.
The brand not only began to open stores around the world but also
called on the famous American designer Marc Jacobs
(considered the creator of the
grunge
look
, yes, the one with ripped jeans) to make the first collections of "ready-to-wear" clothing. of woman and man.
Suddenly,
Vuittonmania
began
.
Celebrities
were chosen
as ambassadors: Sean Connery, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez and others.
Hurricane Jacobs not only designed the clothing, it brought
an artistic stamp
to the brand
that revolutionized traditional monograms.
In 2001, Stephen Sprouse, known for his punk art, designed a limited-edition line of handbags that
featured written graffiti
.
Two years later, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami added more than 30 colors to the monogram with anime shapes.
It is impossible not to mention the relationship between Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama developed in 2012. The polka dots of the renowned Japanese artist
invaded accessories
and clothing in the colors red with white and yellow with black.
The great publicity that all this
artistic movement
meant
for Vuitton was added to new store openings around the world (even in Buenos Aires).
It was also the time for big advertising campaigns starring tennis players André Agassi and Steffi Graf, Maradona and Pelé, supermodel Gisele Bundchen and director Francis Ford Coppola with their daughter Sofia.
Most
were photographed by the brilliant photographer Annie Leibovitz
alongside their monogrammed luggage.
But the big surprise was the ad starring the last president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorvachev in 2007. He is seen in a car
with a Vuitton bag passing by the Berlin wall
.
It is not an innocent image.
He announces that the French brand is beginning to seduce a new post-communist social class from Eastern Europe: the
New Rich
who now want luxury.
Unlike the elusive Hermès, Vuitton is an exclusive brand that is publicly displayed.
And those who don't have it, want it
.
It is as VIP as it is aspirational.
In 2013 Jacobs was replaced by the young French couturier Nicholas Ghesquiere, currently at the helm of Vuitton as artistic director.
Under his command members of
the new generation of
Hollywood
actresses
are ambassadors: Michelle Williams, Emma Stone (
Cruella
), Alice Vikander and Lea Seydoux.
Object of desire and synonymous with sophistication and tradition, Vuitton was the most googled brand of 2020. According to
Forbes
magazine it
leads the top five of luxury and is valued at 39.3 billion dollars, followed by Gucci, Hermès, Cartier, Rolex and Chanel .
His Instagram account
has more than 45 million followers
and is present in 62 countries. In the workshops, trunks are still made following the
savoir faire
set by Louis Vuitton, a country boy who, not even in the best of his dreams on that trip to Paris that changed his fate, would have imagined everything he achieved.