It all started with a trunk. It is remarkable to think that this luxury fashion empire began as a simple travel goods business. In 1837, young Louis arrived in Paris to work for Monsieur Maréchal, a highly respected trunk maker, where he quickly excelled. As industrialization progressed and new forms of transportation emerged, international tourism flourished, making travel accessible to everyone. But Louis was not just an excellent craftsman; he was also remarkably savvy. He set out to design a line of luxury luggage that was functional, practical, and undeniably chic. That is how Louis Vuitton’s success started, in 1854, in a small boutique at 4 rue Neuve-des-Capucines in Paris.
Because Louis wanted the best for its products, he decided to develop his company and moved his business to Asnières, on the banks of the Seine, to take advantage of river transport. The workshop in Asnières still exists today, with hundreds of employees still working in leather goods.
In short, Louis embodies the success story of an ambitious young man who started from nothing and revolutionised an entire market. But while there is no denying that Louis was a visionary, he did not build the entire Vuitton empire single-handedly!
Like father, like son, George Vuitton followed in his father’s footsteps when he died. On the death of the latter, he decided to pay tribute to him by creating a singular logo to the brand using his father’s initials. However, his aim was not just to please Dad! Believe it or not but counterfeiting was already a major issue for luxury houses in the 19th century. Aware of this, George enlisted professional designers to create a unique and innovative logo that embodied the spirit of Vuitton. Thankfully, the complexity of this monogram made it difficult to replicate, significantly reducing the number of counterfeits.
He thus killed two birds with one stone: preserving Louis Vuitton’s image while paying tribute to his father and the origins of the brand. Nevertheless, is not it paradoxical to know that the same monogram that once prevented the copying of Vuitton designs in the 19th century is now found on some of the most counterfeited luxury products in the world?
Louis Vuitton is highly vigilant about this issue and actively combats counterfeiting, which threatens its brand image. A dedicated team focuses solely on protecting the brand’s intellectual property rights. To this end, in 2010, Louis Vuitton conducted 10,673 raids and initiated 30,171 anti-counterfeiting actions worldwide, leading to the seizure of thousands of fake products and the dismantling of numerous criminal networks.
This issue goes far beyond simply buying a cheap imitation to copy stylish millionaires. Fighting counterfeits is about preserving the creativity of the artists who pour their passion into their work. While buying a knockoff bag on a holiday street corner may seem harmless, it actually undermines an entire economy and, most importantly, the legacy of the artists who helped in building the brand’s prestige and identity. Furthermore, Counterfeiting also harms communities by fostering unsafe, unregulated working conditions and violating human rights, including the exploitation of child and forced labor. Thus, behind the purchase of a cheap fake bag lies a high human cost.
Over the last few years, the prestige of the “Maison” has suffered a lot because of counterfeiting. Counterfeit manufacturers have tapped into the appeal of luxury goods by creating near-identical replicas, like handbags, which are sold illegally in major cities. These items attract tourists and consumers who prioritize the appearance and perceived prestige over authenticity, often disregarding the product’s legitimacy due to its low price and similar look to the original. Luxury brands are suffering from this phenomenon because of the distribution of fake articles that damage the brand’s image. The problem is that many people today find the Vuitton monogram vulgar because it is so closely associated with counterfeit products resulting in a decline in attractiveness. In this context, revenue loss is not Louis Vuitton’s biggest concern; it is actually the damage to brand trust and customer loyalty. Indeed, brands work very hard to create a relationship of confidence with their customers while building connections with new ones. For consumers, buying a near-identical replica offers a cost-effective alternative to the pricier original, with little risk of detection unless someone has a sharp eye for flaws. Consequences are very dangerous for Vuitton: potential new customers struggle to see the value in paying a premium while existing customers worry that their genuine purchases may be mistaken for counterfeits.
However, even if the monogram has been criticized because of the replicas, it still represents the “luxe à la française” and the items with the LV logo remains the most popular of the Maison. Thus, it is not just a logo anymore, but a symbol of the iconic legacy of Louis Vuitton and its popularity. We love it so much for its history and the fact that it remains trendy even 200 years after its creation since women of power such as Lady Diana and Melania Trump or hit girls such as Sabrina Carpenter have all been seen with iconic outfits from the brand.