Just think about all the photos you’ve seen of celebrities and socialites waiting in airports or coming off their private planes. Rarely are they snapped without the ultimate jet-setting accessory: Louis Vuitton luggage. Synonymous with travel and luxury, these easily recognizable bags have long represented a timeless way to escape in style.
Louis Vuitton luggage is just as popular now as it was to world travelers in the 19th century, when the label first launched. Vuitton was the apprentice for a trunk maker in 1854 when he decided to open his own store in Paris called Louis Vuitton Malletier (trunk maker). Once on his own, the 33-year-old craftsman was able to freely create the most elegant and sophisticated trunk of all time. His son, Georges, later improved his dad’s brown and beige leather canvas by adding the unmistakable “LV” monogram in 1896 as a way to deter copycats.
Though the brand started out as a luggage company—giving the wealthy a means of transporting their precious belongings in extravagant leather containers, complete with protective golden brass lock and key hardware—over time, the logo has come to stand for much more. Beyond bags of all shapes and sizes, LV’s company has grown to include shoes, clothes, time pieces, sunglasses, and fine jewelry.
Of course, you don’t need a Louis Vuitton trunk to travel in style – beautiful, less cumbersome luggage is a dime a dozen. But in truth, there is no replacement for this iconic and historical piece. Proof lies in its worth: Last year, Forbes magazine reported that people have paid up to $42,000 for an LV trunk made between 1880 and 1950. Considering that they are still handmade and take six to nine months to be delivered, even purchasing a new one now is, as Forbes put it, a “sound investment.”
[Photography courtesy of MoonSoleil and ilvoelv.com]
Published on March 13, 2010
While there are many sites today dedicated to the pursuit of fashion and style, here at MRK Style we approach these subjects through a collector’s lens. Through exploring how people relate to Art, Family, Fashion, Food, Film and Travel—essentially life’s various, everyday obsessions—we reflect on how we all live with the things we love. 
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