When Louis Vuitton became a trunk master at the age of sixteen in Paris, France, he probably had no expectation that his business would become a pinnacle in the luxury goods industry.
After arriving in Paris on foot, Vuitton began apprenticing for Monsieur Maréchal, where he made sturdy trunks that would be able to withstand bumpy transportation. During this time period, the only way to travel was by horse drawn carriage, boat, or train so people naturally needed heavy duty trunks to protect their belongings. Many people took a liking to Vuitton’s trunks, and he quickly gained popularity within the community. Fast forward to present day, the company is designing more than just trunks, and popularity continues to skyrocket.
With Louis Vuitton being one of our favorite brands at appreciate, we are beginning a series called 10 and 10, where we share a brand’s top 10 trendiest bags, in addition to 10 facts we love about them. We hope you enjoy.
Per the The Editorialist, the top 10 trendiest Louis Vuitton bags are the Louis Vuitton Twist, Petite Malle, Dauphine, Pochette, Neverfull, Bum Bag, Alma, Speedy, Noe, and any Louis Vuitton backpack of your choosing!
Although there are many interesting facts to choose from, here are our top 10 picks.
- Louis Vuitton got his big break as the official box-maker and packer of Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife, Empress Eugenie de Montijo of France.
- Vuitton’s son, Georges, patented an innovative lock system that was so effective that he challenged Harry Houdini to escape from a locked Vuitton trunk, in which Houdini declined to respond. This lock design is still in use today.
- The Noe bag was originally designed to hold 5 bottles of champagne and is the original bucket bag.
- The Alma was originally custom designed for Coco Chanel herself.
- All Louis Vuitton handbags are handmade. It takes about a week to create one handbag.
- The Louis Vuitton Speedy handbag was originally developed for Audrey Hepburn.
- LV handbags are made to be completely fire and water-resistant. Canvas is used for waterproofing and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is used for fireproofing the bags. This is one of the reasons why LV bags are so expensive.
- Louis Vuitton’s most expensive bag is the Urban Satchel bag, released in spring 2008. It is also the seventh most expensive handbag in the world, priced at $150,000. This one-of-a-kind high-luxury handbag is made of the world’s finest Italian leather and, like all other LV products, is hand-crafted with an unbelievable assembly of so-called “urban charms.” It is crafted with a band aid, shrimp tails, tea bags, gums, cigarette packets and a used water bottle.
- All Louis Vuitton bags and jewelry undergo vigorous tests. The bags are tested by dropping them from half a meter height with three and a half kilograms of weight packed in it. For endurance of the material, it is subjected to ultraviolet rays to ensure fade resistance. Additionally, the zippers are tugged open-and-shut around 5,000 times to ensure they are properly working.
- Although most people think that the company only makes handbags and accessories, they also have their own pen collection and clothing line.
