Louis Vuitton - Company Overview

Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton, or sometimes shortened to LV, is a French luxury fashion and leather goods brand and company, one of the main divisions of LVMH headquartered in Paris, France. Known especially for bags and trunks, the company collaborates with prominent figures for marketing and design (most notably supermodel Gisele Bündchen and fashion designer Marc Jacobs). Internationally renowned and highly regarded for name recognition in the fashion world, LV has become one of the most counterfeited contemporary luxury brands.

LV is also one of the oldest fashion houses in the world, having started in 1854. It sells its products strictly through its own retail stores and online (as an effort against counterfeit). It primarily competes with Versace, Gucci, Chanel, Armani, Prada and similar luxury fashion brands.

History of Louis Vuitton

In the mid 19th century, Louis Vuitton was a renowned trunks and luggage retailer. Entering into the 20th century, the company expanded in terms of locations and financial success. Beginning in the middle of the century, it entered the fashion world, integrating its signature Monogram Canvas into purses and bags. Its merger to create LVMH became a milestone step, and from then on, LV came to acquire its luxury fashion image known today.

Prominent figures to have exclusively ordered Louis Vuitton luggage in history include Congo explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, who ordered a combined trunk and bed from the company, and American conductor Leopold Stokowski (for his travels), whose travelling secrétaire was designed by Gaston-Louis Vuitton.
 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Louis Vuitton".