The making of an icon: Louis Vuitton Trunk

My first contact with the luxury world was through a Louis Vuitton bag. The brand’s classic monogram is inexplicably fascinating to a five-year-old, and I remember tracing the brown and gold pattern until someone told me to “look but don’t touch”.

The monogram has decorated countless of the brand’s leather goods throughout its rich history, but its most revered product is perhaps its iconic travelling trunk.

From Ernest Hemingway’s Library Trunk commissioned in 1923 to the trunks created for artist Damien Hirst and the FIFA World Cup Trophy in recent years, Louis Vuitton trunks have stamped their mark on history and have continued to grace our lives ever since. Enjoy finding out more about how it’s made, and next time you see one, feel free to look – and definitely touch.

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Patrick-Louis Vuitton, great-great-grandson of the brand’s founder, is responsible for the maison’s special orders and commissions. He once said in an interview that he always travels the world with his Vuitton trunks – “Don’t expect me to advise you to travel with ugly luggage just because you’re afraid it will get stolen.”

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At the historical workshop in Asnières – which dates back 150 years and is also where the brand’s family home and travel museum can be found – the craftsmen have ample natural light as well as top-of-the-line lighting, electrical systems and tools to ensure that the quality of their creations remain uncompromised.

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The components are part of the Watercolour Box (Boîte à Aquarelle), a special order for Patrick-Louis Vuitton. While the brand offers “made-to-order” pieces, which allow clients to choose from existing styles, materials and colours, its “custom-made” creations – such as this box – are unique pieces that cater to clients’ specific needs, be it a jewellery trunk for heirlooms or wine trunk for oenophiles.

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