The History of the Louis Vuitton Monogram
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Wednesday, July 10, 2024
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Louis Vuitton founded his prestigious Maison in 1854 at 4 Rue Neuve des Capucines in Paris, which started as a luggage company. The first trunks were made with a simple grey canvas without any motifs. It wasn’t until 1872 that trunks featured a striped canvas pattern, and in 1888, the Damier pattern was introduced in a black and brown color scheme. Then in 1896, four years after the founder passed away, his son Georges Vuitton created the famous 'LV' monogram in memory of his father, (and to distinguish the products from counterfeit) featuring his initials and decorated with quatrefoils and four-petal flowers.
Since then, the Louis Vuitton Monogram has become one of the most recognizable and enduring symbols in fashion and a signature of the Maison. It has gone through several transformations under different creative directors, who have used the iconic print on bags, of course, but also other accessories and ready-to-wear. In this article, we want to show you the most memorable reinterpretations of the LV Monogram through the years.
When Georges Vuitton passed away in 1936, his son, Gaston-Louis, took the helm of the brand and expanded it internationally. The LV Monogram was printed on timeless bags like Le Papillon, Keepall, and Speedy, carried by the celebrities of the day.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Monogram canvas in 1996, Louis Vuitton invited select designers to create a limited series of bags and other accessories: Azzedine Alaïa, Manolo Blahnik, Romeo Gigli, Helmut Lang, Isaac Mizrahi, Sybilla, and Vivienne Westwood.
In 1997, Marc Jacobs was named creative director at Louis Vuitton. He was asked not to change the logo, but he loved to push boundaries and thus broke the house’s codes, creating many reinterpretations of the monogram. After his first Monogram Vernis collection,