Louis Vuitton invents luxury bags for men.
Embodiment of French know-how, for the last 160 years, the House of Louis Vuitton has been distinguishing itself in the field of luxury leather goods. Its collections of ladies’ handbags have been on wish lists everywhere for as long as we can remember, and the brand has also taken the bold step of applying its famous logo to creations designed for men.
A somewhat revolutionary move in the field of luggage.
Louis Vuitton began his leather goods-making career in the Parisian workshop of Monsieur Maréchal, before founding his own trunkmaking company in 1854. He then revolutionised the universe of luggage with his flat-topped trunk, much easier to stack than the curve-topped models of the time. Joined by his son Georges, to whom the brand owes the invention of the famous coated canvas "LV Monogram", Louis Vuitton added women's leather handbags and a comprehensive line of luggage for men to his collections. In 1987, Louis Vuitton joined forces with Moët & Chandon champagnes and Hennessy cognacs to form the LVMH group.
A range of Louis Vuitton ready-to-wear and shoes was launched shortly afterwards. Leather goods still represent the brand's flagship sector, with an offering of various collections of men and women's bags. When Marc Jacobs became creative director of the collections for women in 1997, he injected fresh impetus into Louis Vuitton designs. The designer modernised the LV Monogram canvas, introducing versions in different colours and materials. Nicolas Ghesquière has been creative director of Louis Vuitton since 2013. Won over by the lines of Louis Vuitton bags for men, designed by Paul Helbers, then Kim Jones and now Virgil Abloh, many celebrities are now regularly spotted with them, including Kanye West, David Beckham and Wong Kar-wai.
Classic and contemporary bags for men.
Just like the collections for women, Louis Vuitton's line of leather goods for men is made up of pieces that are modern and luxurious. It includes briefcases, rucksacks and travel bags, alongside pouches with straps designed specifically with men in mind. Most designs are available in leather and in canvas. Some editions are cut in unusual leathers, like crocodile skin. The canvas models are still highly sought-after, especially where the large capacity luggage is concerned.
The collections of luggage for men by Louis Vuitton are mainly dominated by the canvas chequerboard and LV Monogram designs. The first, with its checks, comes in its classic graphite version, but also in a brown version or with the addition of whimsical prints. On men's travel bags, the brown LV Monogram canvas is sometimes revisited in eclipse blue tones. The following three men's bags by Louis Vuitton are particularly noteworthy: