Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton (1821–1892) trained as a trunk-maker in Paris, became Empress Eugénie's personal layetier (packer of clothes), and in 1854 opened his own workshop on Rue Neuve-des-Capucines. His innovation was the flat-topped trunk, made from waterproof Trianon canvas — a radical departure from the dome-topped trunks of the era. The LV monogram canvas was designed by his son Georges in 1896 to combat counterfeiting (which began almost immediately upon Louis's success) and remains one of the most-recognised patterns in fashion. The house joined LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) in 1987, becoming the holding's anchor brand. Marc Jacobs's creative direction (1997-2013) brought ready-to-wear to a heritage trunk-maker for the first time, and his collaborations with Stephen Sprouse, Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama, and Comme des Garçons set a new template for luxury × art partnership. Nicolas Ghesquière joined for women's in 2013 and remains in role. Virgil Abloh's appointment to men's in 2018 — the first Black designer at a French luxury house's helm — produced four years of generation-defining collections; following his 2021 passing, Pharrell Williams was named men's creative director in 2023. Louis Vuitton has consistently been the world's most valuable luxury brand, generating roughly €25B in annual revenue as of recent estimates. The flagship at 101 Champs-Élysées and the Asnières atelier (where Louis Vuitton lived and worked) remain pilgrimage sites. After two centuries, the brand still produces almost all its leather goods in France.