It follows that a house renowned for its signature monogram canvas would favor other forms of symbolism, too. Louis Vuitton’s iconic print, devised by its eponymous founder’s son Georges, emerged in 1896 as an affirmation of longevity—its interlocking initials weathering decades, designers, and heirlooms purchased and repurposed.
Now, From Louis to Vuitton, a hulking volume from Assouline, traces all 171 years of the house’s visual history in over 300 images. The narrative opens with a 14-year-old Louis Vuitton leaving Anchay, his home village in eastern France, for Paris. More than 400 pages later, the tome culminates with the birth of the monogram canvas—Georges’s tribute to his father’s unlikely journey from luggage maker to household name.
Between these bookends, the founding family’s history flickers to life in the form of archival photographs and film stills that highlight Louis Vuitton’s indelible mark on culture (think a frame from Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited with Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman trudging through the countryside, LV luggage in tow).
One illustration in the tome, a dainty pen drawing of a bellhop inscribed with a short phrase, narrows the wealth of material down to a simple ethos: Montre-moi tes bagages, je te dirai qui tu es. Show me your luggage, I’ll tell you who you are.
in your life?
