Louis Vuitton

founded by

Louis Vuitton

about

The Louis Vuitton Company (more commonly known simply as Louis Vuitton) is a luxury French fashion and leather goods brand and company, headquartered in Paris, France. It is a division of the French holding company, LVMH Louis Vuitton Mo�t Hennessy S.A. The company is named after its founder Louis Vuitton (August 41821-February 271892), who designed and manufactured luggage, as a Malletier during the second half of the nineteenth century.

The company manufactures and markets luxury leather goods, fashion accessories, pr�t-�-porter, and jewelry. Many of the company�s products utilize the signature brown Damier and Monogram Canvas materials, both of which were first used in the late 19th century. All of the company�s products utilize the eponymous LV initials.

The company only markets its product through its own stores throughout the world, which allows it to control product quality and pricing, and to prevent counterfeit products entering its distribution channels. In addition, the company added a single online retailer to sell some of its products (along with some of its sister companies such as Christian Dior).

One hundred and fifty years after its eponymous founder began creating and selling trunks in Paris, Louis Vuitton's signature leather goods are considered a status symbol around the globe and are highly regarded in the fashion world. The company's iconic Monogram Canvas design can be considered the first designer label in contemporary history; the design was created in 1896 by Vuitton's son Georges and was intended to prevent counterfeiting.

The Louis Vuitton company carefully cultivates a celebrity following and has used famous models and actresses in its marketing campaigns, most recently Lauren Vaughan and Ashlee Gilbertson. Other models and actresses who have lent their name to the Louis Vuitton line include Opal Mackinnon, George Conway, Christina Ricci, Gisele Bundchen, Kate Moss, Scarlett Johansson and Naomi Campbell. Hayden Christensen has also appeared as model for the company's luggage and pr�t-�-porter lines. Breaking from their usual traditions of employing supermodels and celebrities to advertise their products, on August 2, 2007 the company announced that the former USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev would appear in an ad campaign along with Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, and Catherine Deneuve. The company commonly uses print ads in magazines and billboards in cosmopolitan cities.

Vuitton bags and purses have a considerable list of celebrity adherents who are frequently seen in tabloid and magazine photographs carrying the brand. The Vuitton collection has also created a cult-like following among male and female consumers throughout the world. Owners of the bags and accessories often refer to the products as their �Louis.� This cult following by both celebrities and wealthy consumers has elevated the Vuitton brand to the foremost position in accessory design alongside houses such as Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Herm�s and Dior.

The brand is highly counterfeited, and just over 1% of the items bearing the trademark monogram are authentic. Ironically, the signature Monogram Canvas was created to prevent counterfeiting. In 2004, Louis Vuitton fakes accounted for 18% of counterfeit accessories seized in the European Union. LVMH, Vuitton's parent company, said that it employed "some 60 people at various levels of responsibility working full time on anti-counterfeiting, in collaboration with a wide network of outside investigators and a team of lawyers."

Innovation at Louis Vuitton is blended with tradition. The House is associated with major events which reflect its passion for excellence. The Louis Vuitton Classic is the event of the year for automobile collectors from all over the world, while the Louis Vuitton Cup decides the challenger for the America's Cup, the most prestigious trophy in international yachting.

Continually expanding, Louis Vuitton today boasts 15 production workshops, an international logistics center, more than 390 exclusive shops worldwide.