Louis Vuitton: A Legacy of Luxury

The Beginnings

Known for its unparalleled impact on the fashion industry, Louis Vuitton is a brand synonymous with luxury and exclusivity. Nearly approaching its bicentennial, the fashion house has remained an iconic cultural touchstone and an important influence in all walks of life.

Named after its founder, Louis Vuitton, the house gained notoriety in the 1800s for creating luxury travel trunks and leather goods for wealthy, world-traveling clients who desired safety and security. The following years saw the house go through multiple changes in style and direction, but one thing remained true: Louis Vuitton would continue to reign on top of the luxury fashion industry in terms of both influence and sales.

Louis Vuitton was born in 1821 in the eastern French town Anchay. With both of his parents tragically passing away before he turned 13, Vuitton set his sights on Paris to begin a new life. When Vuitton arrived in Paris at the age of 16, he began apprenticing with box-maker and packer Monsieur Maréchal. Vuitton quickly became a valued craftsman at Maréchal’s atelier and remained there for 17 years. This would be where Vuitton gained the skills and knowledge to open his shop and begin his career - which he would do in 1854 near the Place Vendôme in Paris.

Vuitton experienced immediate success and in 1858 he revolutionized the industry by creating rectangular stackable trunks. Prior to this invention, most trunks featured a rounded top, making stacking and storage during travel difficult. Now, with Vuitton’s trunks in high demand, he was able to expand his work and business outside of Paris.

Vuitton would expand operations in 1859 to Asnières - just northeast of Paris. This site grew over the years and eventually became the Vuitton family residence and where many of the house’s products are still crafted today. Asnières birthed both the Tumbler lock, which turned Louis Vuitton’s trunks into the equivalent of safes, and Louis Vuitton’s first signature pattern: The Damier. While Vuitton used mostly leather, he would introduce the Damier in 1888 to widespread popularity. Eventual creative director Marc Jacobs would update and re-release the Damier in an array of styles.

Louis Vuitton passed away in 1892, leaving behind a legacy still unmatched to this day. Vuitton left his business to his son Georges, who would in turn leave it to his son Gaston-Louis. In 1987, Louis Vuitton merged with Moët Hennessy to form LVMH. The two alcohol brands joined forces in 1971 and in 2023 the conglomerate would become the first European company to surpass a valuation of $500 billion. LVMH manages over 60 luxury brands which include Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs, Fendi, Kenzo, Celine, and Loewe, to name a few.

What Goes Around Comes Around is proud to source the finest pre-owned and vintage Louis Vuitton handbags, accessories, and more, as we hope to continue our goal of sustainability and keeping vintage alive and thriving.

Louis Vuitton: Creative Directors

Louis Vuitton remained family-owned and operated until the 90s when Yves Carcelle was appointed president. Marc Jacobs became creative director in 1997 and brought a modern sensibility to the brand that had long seemed stuck in the past. Jacobs introduced the first ready-to-wear collection in 1997, as well as multiple collaborations with artists and designers that have gone on to become highly sought-after pieces on the resell market. These include but are not limited to Takashi Murakami, Stephen Sprouse, and Sofia Coppola.

Kim Jones and Nicolas Ghesquière would follow, with Jones taking the role of Style Director for Menswear and Jones succeeding Jacobs and taking the role of Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton's Women's collections.

The house took yet another creative turn when Virgil Abloh took over Jones’ role as Menswear director. Abloh worked alongside Nicolas Ghesquière until his untimely passing in 2021. Ghesquière, still in his role, now works alongside Grammy-award winning singer and producer Pharrell Williams, who helms the Menswear collections.

Louis Vuitton's signature Monogram coated canvas.

Monogram, Motifs, & Materials

The Monogram & Coated Canvas

Gaston-Louis Vuitton would create the brand’s world-renowned Monogram coated canvas after years of copying and counterfeit activity from rival brands. Louis Vuitton’s Monogram features a repeating pattern of diamonds, flowers and the brand’s LV logo and continues to be one of the most recognizable designs in all of fashion. The Monogram is featured on almost every item released by Louis Vuitton, from totes to crossbody bags.

Many of Louis Vuitton’s most popular bags are not made of leather, but of coated canvas. The brand’s signature Monogram coated canvas is made of cotton canvas and coated with PVC, rendering it waterproof and scratch resistant. Coated canvas has long been the house’s signature material and features Vachetta leather trim and piping throughout the exterior of each bag.

Epi Leather

Next to the Monogram coated canvas, Louis Vuitton’s Epi leather is their longest-running material. Epi leather is a striated leather that comes in a multitude of colors and sizes and has been updated in a patent leather variation – Electric Epi. Epi leather, much like coated canvas, is waterproof and scratch resistant.

Vernis Leather

Vernis leather, introduced in 1997 by Marc Jacobs, is infamous for its shiny and deep logo embossing. French for varnish, the coated leather is similar to patent leather and comes in an array of unique colors.

Mahina & Empreinte Leathers

While the Epi and Vernis leather variations are two of the most popular, Louis Vuitton also produces additional leather variations: Mahina and Empreinte. Mahina was introduced in 2007 and features the Monogram motif perforated throughout the exterior. Empreinte is high-quality calf leather that has been dyed and meticulously drummed several times to pull out the natural grain and texture.

The Damier

Marc Jacobs re-introduced the iconic Damier pattern. Damier, a French term for checkboard, was the house’s first-ever signature pattern. The Damier Ebene was released in 1998, the Damier Azur in 2006 and the Damier Graphite in 2008. Ebene, French for ebony, features multiple brown shades and dark leather trim. Azur was inspired by the French Riveria and is rendered in shades of blue and white. Graphite was released to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Damier pattern and is used in many of Louis Vuitton’s men’s collections.

Louis Vuitton's Monogram Speedy, produced in France, year 2000.

Understanding Louis Vuitton’s Date Codes: An Overview

Many, if not all, luxury brands use date codes or serial numbers of some kind to properly deter counterfeiting and ensure authenticity. Louis Vuitton began implementing date codes in the early 1980s and each date code features different numbers and letters. Louis Vuitton’s combination of characters refers to where and when the bag was made.

Bags that were crafted before 1983 will not have a date code, but if your style is from 1984 and beyond, the date code can be found in multiple places – two of the most popular locations are at an interior leather tab or on the lining of the bag. An example of a date code from the 80s would be “855” which would equate to: May 1985, with the first two digits representing the year and the third digit representing the month.

Louis Vuitton would eventually introduce Factory Codes with two letters representing the factory location. The most popular and common factory locations are France, Spain, the USA, and Italy. An example of a date code from this era would be “AS0042” which would equate to: April 2002 in France. Now, how does one read and understand this? Take the first and third numbers which reveal the month, in this case, April. Then, take the second and fourth numbers to reveal the year - 2002. “AS” represents a factory location in France.

To further combat counterfeit activity, Louis Vuitton introduced an additional layer to the date code feature: the bag’s creation date based on the week of the year. In 2007, Louis Vuitton replaced the month of creation with the first and third number now featuring numbers that would equate to one of the 52 weeks of the year.

Iconic Louis Vuitton Collaborations and Collections

Centenaire Collection

Louis Vuitton was one of the first luxury labels to utilize artistic collaborations and limited collections to create buzz. In 1996, Louis Vuitton’s first exclusive collection was released to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Monogram print. This collection featured seven fashion designers creating their own version of Monogram printed bags – these designers included Azzedine Alaïa, Manolo Blahnik, Romeo Gigli, Helmut Lang, Issac Mizrahi, Sybilla, and Vivienne Westwood.

Stephen Sprouse

Perhaps the most iconic and highly sought-after collaboration came in 2001 when Louis Vuitton joined forces with artist Stephen Sprouse to create the Monogram Graffiti. Sprouse was an American artist and fashion designer who’s credited with mixing upscale class with punk sensibilities. The first collaboration featured Monogram canvas bags that appeared to be painted over with graffiti and came in three colorways: green, tan, and white.

Sprouse would unfortunately pass away in 2004 and five years later Jacobs would pay tribute with two collections. Jacobs reimagined the Graffiti in new neon-tone colorways that featured green, orange, and pink. The second featured unused rose artwork from Sprouse. Jacobs released “Roses” as part of the Spring/Summer 2009 collection which paid homage to Sprouse.

Featured: Murakami Cerises, Sprouse Graffiti,

Murakami Cherry Blossoms, Sprouse Roses, Sprouse Graffiti

Takashi Murakami

Louis Vuitton would see another iconic collaboration in 2003 with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. Murakami is a contemporary artist who works with painting, sculpture, and animation. The collaboration saw another reimagination of the Monogram, known as the Monogram Multicolore – crafted in technicolor with thirty-three silkscreened colors featured throughout the print. The Monogram Multicolore found its way to bags, clothing, belts, and wallets!

Murakami also introduced his iconic eyelash design to the Monogram, found in the Eye Love You Monogram collection, and brought even more recognition and acclaim to the collaboration. Along with his spin on the classic Monogram, Murakami is also known for his imagery and motifs which have been added to Louis Vuitton pieces throughout the years. Some of these are, but not limited to, the Cherry Blossom, the Panda, and Cherries (Cerises).

Sofia Coppola

Filmmaker Sofia Coppola, close friend to Marc Jacobs, was an inspiration and muse to many collections during Jacobs’ tenure as creative director – going as far to work on some of the house’s advertisements and campaigns together. Jacobs collaborated with Coppola to create the SC bag - what Coppola would describe as her “perfect” bag. The SC collection was so popular that it is still produced and sold to this day.

Richard Prince

Jacobs continued his iconic collaboration run with Richard Prince in 2008 for the Spring/Summer collection, which gave birth to: Monogram Jokes, Monogram Pulp, Monogram Cartoons, and Monogram Watercolor. Monogram Jokes, Monogram Pulp, and Monogram Cartoons were inspired by the tabloids and Monogram Watercolor was aptly named for the illusion of the Monogram pattern being painted in watercolor.

Comme des Garçons

Louis Vuitton would also collaborate with iconic fashion brand Comme des Garçons and founder Rei Kawakubo. She created six bags that were exclusively sold in Comme des Garçons’ Kotti-dori store.

Yayoi Kusama

Contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama collaborated with Louis Vuitton in 2006 and 2012. 2006 would see the creation of Monogram Dots Infinity. Inspired by pop art, this collection featured one of Kusama’s signature patterns: polka dots. Kusama would once again utilize her signature polka dots in 2012, but this time saw larger dots featured in a wave-like pattern.

Signature Louis Vuitton Styles To Know About

The Keepall

The Keepall, perhaps the most desired and recognizable travel bag worldwide, was released in 1930 and took the luxury world by storm. The Keepall has been released in a multitude of styles and was eventually reimagined as the Bandoulière with the inclusion of an additional shoulder strap for optimal travel.

The Speedy

One of the first-ever everyday silhouettes from the fashion house was the Speedy bag which debuted in 1930 and has been a foundational silhouette for tastemakers near and far ever since. The Speedy comes in multiple sizes and the 25 cm size was specifically made for actress Audrey Hepburn.

The Alma

In 1925, Coco Chanel requested a bag from Louis Vuitton, and they gladly complied. This bag would inspire a style called the Squire, released in 1934, which in turn inspired the Alma. In 1992, Louis Vuitton would go on to release the Alma - named after the Place d’Alma in Paris.

The Noé

When a champagne company asked Louis Vuitton to create a stylish bag to transport bottles of alcohol, the Noé was born. The Noé has since gone on to be produced in a variety of sizes and materials but is most commonly crafted in Monogram coated canvas.

The Papillon

Inspired by the Mod movement of the 1960s, the Papillon was released in 1966, and named for the butterfly due to its shape and silhouette.

The Sac Plat

The 1960s would also see the release of the Sac Plat, an iconic silhouette designed to lay flat in a trunk or suitcase and utilized once at your destination.

The Pochette Accessoires

Originally created as a companion to the Noé, the Pochette Accessoires was intended to store makeup and other small travel goodies. The Pochette Accessoires would release on its own in 1992 as small bag that could be worn and styled in a multitude of ways.

The Neverfull

Next to the Keepall, the Neverfull is perhaps the most well-known and popular Louis Vuitton style. The Neverfull was released in 2007 and instantly became a worldwide best-seller. The Neverfull continues to be released in many different colors, materials, and styles, with each release becoming more popular than the last.

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