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Vincenzo La Torre

Chief Editor, Style; Fashion Editor, Post Magazine


Walk down the street in any major city around the world – Tokyo, New York, Hong Kong or London – and you’re likely to come across the Louis Vuitton monogram at least a couple of times, if not more, on any given day.
When does a logo stop being just a logo? The LV monogram, as Louis Vuitton’s gilded initials are known, has become a “neutral”, a multifaceted pattern that goes with everything and anything.

Embossed on one of the label’s bestselling bags or printed on a silk shirt as part of a chic ensemble, the LV monogram is one of those ubiquitous status symbols that rarely pass unnoticed. From the hip-hop community to first-time luxury consumers and seasoned lovers of the finer things in life, devotees of the LV monogram span generations and backgrounds – making it one of the most widely copied emblems in the history of fashion.

Pierre-Louis Vuitton, a descendant of the founding family who has been working at the house since 2004, says that the monogram’s versatility is something that Georges, Louis Vuitton’s son, envisioned when he introduced it 130 years ago. In 1896, Georges Vuitton came up with the idea of a canvas printed with the LV initials and a floral pattern, to create a signature for the maison and ward off the many copies flooding the market even back then.

“At the beginning of the 20th century, Georges mentioned that the LV canvas could be used in different sizes, colours and raw materials,” Pierre-Louis says in an interview. “It was visionary of him to see that it was not just a canvas but a monogram [suitable for] different materials, sizes and colours. So at the beginning of the 21st century, we started to transform the canvas with collaborations [with the likes of] Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama.”
While Georges couldn’t have predicted how much those LV-emblazoned creations would change the world of branding – eventually giving rise to modern luxury as we know it – he knew that a logo, no matter how established, is not a fixed entity, but an asset that can be reimagined and reinterpreted while still retaining its essence.

The great-great-great-grandson of founder Louis Vuitton, Pierre-Louis was born in Asnières-sur-Seine, on the outskirts of Paris, and raised in the Vuitton family home that now acts as a private museum. Next to it is a workshop where the maison makes its legendary trunks and one-of-a-kind custom orders.
“I don’t see Louis Vuitton as a brand. I was born in Asnières. I have seen the monogram every day of my life, but for me it’s [about] the savoir faire and the artisans,” he says. “When I decided to join Louis Vuitton, it was important for me to be in the workshop and understand how to make luggage and trunks. Nowadays, I try to transmit what I have learned working at Louis Vuitton over 20 years and even before.”

Pierre-Louis is head of savoir faire at the storied label that is now the flagship brand of LVMH, the largest luxury group in the world. His job is to preserve the centuries-old techniques that are behind those famous trunks, while also making sure that all that know-how evolves with the times.
Tradition reigns supreme in the ateliers, but Pierre-Louis likes to point out that technology and innovation are just as important. He’s always looking for ways to improve the production process without compromising on the quality or design of pieces.

“The lock was invented in 1888, and it’s made with traditional techniques, but two or three years ago, I moved the production to another workshop and we started using digital machines to make the keys and to print the numbers on the keys,” he says. “The objective was to be more precise and increase the quality. With new technology and laser printing, we were also able to recreate the keys of old trunks [that had been lost], so we use these new technologies but don’t lose the savoir faire of the key makers. It’s [about] innovating but also preserving.”

Since joining the house in 2023, Pharrell Williams, Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director, has kept the trunkmakers of Louis Vuitton quite busy. His various takes on the LV-monogrammed trunk always steal the limelight at the brand’s men’s shows. For fall/winter 2026, Williams made a direct reference to Asnières: one trunk was hand-painted with a replica of the art nouveau, floral stained-glass windows of the Louis Vuitton family home.
Just as Georges had envisioned in the late 19th century, the monogram is a versatile signature that can be rewritten time and again, constantly adapting to the times and embodying the forward-looking nature of the house itself.


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Pierre-Louis Vuitton, head of savoir faire at Louis Vuitton, on the LV Monogram

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A richly embellished trunk from the Louis Vuitton menswear fall/winter 2026 collection. Photo: Handout

Louis Vuitton’s famous monogrammed luggage is meticulously finished by hand. Photo: Handout

A monogrammed Louis Vuitton mini trunk from the set of the 2026 menswear show. Photo: Handout 

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The design has appeared in collaborations with Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama – and been used widely by men’s creative director Pharrell Williams


The design has appeared in collaborations with Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama – and been used widely by men’s creative director Pharrell Williams.


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Pharrell Williams

Pierre-Louis Vuitton, head of savoir faire at Louis Vuitton, on the LV Monogram

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The design has appeared in collaborations with Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama – and been used widely by men’s creative director Pharrell Williams

The design has appeared in collaborations with Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama – and been used widely by men’s creative director Pharrell Williams