How many people in the fashion industry can surpass a hundred years of history and be called "legends"? Louis Vuitton, a French luxury brand founded in 1854, is definitely a classic among classics!
What do you think of when you mention LV? Luggage, Monogram presbyopia or Damier checkerboard pattern? You can’t help but recognize the old flower bag you carry on your back. Do you know that it carries stories accumulated over the years?
Classic 1, LV LOGO
It is not difficult to understand the inspiration for LV’s brand logo design. It was designed by founder Louis. The abbreviation of Louis Vuitton. The slightly left-leaning italic L character overlaps with the V character. This swash character with "foot" is the son of the founder and the second generation descendant, George. The special font designed by Georges Vuitton in 1896 has been widely used on various bag locks and jewelry accessories. Later, it has evolved into various deformed versions, such as Twist, MyLockMe, etc. The brand's full capital name, LOUIS VUITTON, uses a font called Futura. If you look closely, you will find that the O is particularly round, and the corners of V and N are particularly sharp, giving the impression of simplicity and grandeur.
Classic 2. TUMBLER lock
In the past, nobles often put valuables in suitcases and took them with them, which easily attracted thieves. In order to prevent theft, founder Louis. Vuitton and his son George. Vuitton worked together to develop a single retract lock system with two spring buckles in 1886. Many years later, Georges applied for an exclusive patent for this revolutionary system.
An interesting episode also happened at that time. In order to promote this preservation patent, George publicly asked the American escape master Harry in the newspaper. Houdini challenged him to escape from Louis Vuitton's lock box, but it's a pity that Houdini did not accept the challenge, otherwise we in modern times would have one more interesting fashion story to talk about after dinner.
LV reduced the size of its suitcase, retained the classic Tumbler lock, and launched the Petite Malle mini hard-shell bag.
Classic 3, LV locks
Since we are talking about locks, we have to mention locks. It sounds very chatty, but it is completely different. LV padlock was born in 1890, this is George. The anti-theft lock designed by Vuitton for customers who buy suitcases. Each lock head is equipped with a key. It is also a new product derived from the Tumbler lock introduced above.
As LV launched more and more bags, the brand also learned one thing, that is, the usage rate of bags is naturally much higher than that of suitcases. Therefore, starting from 1901, LV The padlock is integrated into the design and matches the bag style.
It is worth noting that the lock on the bag cannot be removed. You can think of it as a decoration. You can see it on Speedy and Keepall travel bags and Vanity cosmetic bags. , in addition, there are Locky BB lock bags, Silver Lockit charity bracelets and other peripherals that are also popular items.
Silver Lockit classic lock bracelet.
In addition to bags, LV also applies classic locks to jewelry, shrinking padlocks and directly using them as ornaments, and launching the Silver Lockit charity lock bracelet, which can also be used as a gift when shopping. There is no reason not to place an order!
Classic 4. Checkerboard Damier
Damier checkerboard actually appeared earlier than Monogram. However, before getting to know the checkerboard, let’s push back the time to the beginning of the brand. when it was established.
It is conceivable that the shape of LV's early suitcases was very different from today's. The outer shell was designed with red and brown straight stripes, but this was not the case when the young George. In Vuitton's eyes, it was really boring, so he decided to start reforming it!
When the time came to 1888, the father and son, who had a good relationship, joined forces again, crisscrossing extremely thin lines and matching the words "LOUIS VUITTON PARIS", which looked like a checkerboard from a distance. Damier has become one of LV's most famous patterns.
Classic Five, Classic Presbyopia Monogram
The next step is the highlight! The most recognizable Monogram in the fashion circle was created in 1860, six years after the brand was founded, by George. Vuitton designed it himself, taking inspiration from traditional Japanese emblems and combining the LV logo, four-leaf clover, flowers and diamonds.
As for why it is a "Japanese emblem"? That's because France was in a very peaceful period at that time, known as "la belle époque". It was accompanied by the Art Nouveau movement. Artists and designers from all walks of life particularly liked to use materials when creating. Natural elements, especially flowers, grass, and insects, are the most popular. At the same time, Japanese ukiyo-e (woodblock prints) emerged and were popular. The delicate lines also deeply influenced the Art Nouveau style, and even set off a Japanese trend in European society. Therefore, it has become a source of inspiration for LV.
This is why the Vuitton family’s home decorations and wall tiles are full of strong Japanese style. Until modern times, Japanese Oriental style is still the source of inspiration for the brand.
Later, Monogram also continued to introduce new ones. For example, current creative director Nicolas Ghesquière launched Monogram Giant in 2019, which enlarged the LV and cross flower patterns to twice the size.
In the autumn and winter of 2019, a new Since 1854 presbyopia has been launched. Inspired by the year 1854 when the brand was born, the word 1854 is integrated into the Monogram flower totem, the number 8 transforms into a petal style, and the jacquard lines become more elegant. For three-dimensional.