Louis Vuitton is not only one of the world’s leading houses of fashion; it has held the top spot on the list of the most valuable luxury brands in the world for the last six years, worth approximately $26 billion.
The firm originally made its mark a century and a half ago when it popularized travel trunk with a flat top, which made them easy to stack. It opened its firm London store on Oxford Street in 1885.
With the passing of Louis Vuitton, his son Georges carried on the name and took the company international. Louis Vuitton products were on display at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Two decades later, the firm opened up what was then the largest travel goods store in the world in Paris’ Champs-Elysees. Louis Vuitton shops in New York, Bombay, Alexandria and Buenos Aires also opened on the eve of World War One.
During World War Two, with Georges’ son Gaston-Louis at the helm, the firm collaborated with the German officials occupying France.
Since World War Two, the firm began incorporate leather into its repertoire, manufacturing wallets and purses as well as large luggage.
1977 saw the opening of the first Louis Vuitton shops in Japan, starting with Tokyo and Osaka, thn expanded to Taiwan and South Korea in 1983 and 1984. In 1987, alcoholic drink manufacturers Moet and Hennessy merged with Louis Vuitton to form the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH.
