You know it when you see it. That was the idea that birthed Louis Vuitton’s unmistakable monogram. The design—an ochre emblem of a four-petaled flower encased in a circle, another encased in a diamond, and, of course, the interlocking L and V—is among the most recognizable and enduring patterns the world over. Burberry check, the Nike swoosh, and Gucci’s double-G logo all came after one luxury luggage company began to emblazon its founder’s initials across its bags.
The Louis Vuitton monogram was designed in 1896 by Georges Vuitton, just four years after his father Louis’s death. The latter had established a trunk-making workshop near the Place Vendôme in 1854, where, amid a sudden boom in luxury travel, his work stood out for a few key innovations, such as waterproof canvas and flat-topped trunks that could be stacked neatly in a train car. As Georges took over and imitations of his father’s popular work proliferated, an homage to the paterfamilias’ singular vision took shape. When travelers and shoppers spotted the interlocking initials, they would know it was authentic Louis Vuitton.
At the time, it was not in vogue for maisons to draw such attention to themselves. But Georges’s tribute to his father’s legacy established both a visual signature and a new industry precedent, one that would become synonymous with luxury and modernity. The design itself nodded to Paris’s cosmopolitan milieu. The four-petaled flower motif followed similar designs found in the Neo-Gothic cathedrals that dappled the city, while the careful attention to geometry and nature was reminiscent of an obsession with Japanese craft (and in particular a style of circular family crests called mon) that gripped the Parisian elite as Japan increased its trade with the West. The resulting design was evocative of ornate fashions, but distinctly modern in its simple graphic nature. It became a pattern unto itself, later emblazoned across leather luggage like the Speedy and the Keepall, a sturdy duffel still slung over the shoulders of the jet set.
Over the years, the monogram helped cement the heritage maison as a leader in modern travel and, as it expanded into handbags and clothing, everyday refinement. The pattern evolved, first from embroidery using a jacquard loom and natural linen threads, to a hand-painted emblem and, eventually, a stencil designed to be as durable as it was rich in texture.
By the late ’90s, the Louis Vuitton monogram had become a cultural signifier reworked by artists and designers alike. For its 100th anniversary, the house commissioned a capsule collection from Azzedine Alaïa, Manolo Blahnik, and Vivienne Westwood, who fashioned her own rendition of a canvas bag worn on the rump like a bustle. The dawn of the 21st century saw further collaborations with the likes of Takashi Murakami, whose 2003 candy-colored reworks of the LV monogram became the It-purses of the era among young women looking for a convenient place to stash lip gloss and iPods.
Only four years into his tenure at Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs commissioned Stephen Sprouse to coat the monogram in hand-painted graffiti. And in 2014, a veritable masterclass of creatives put their own spin on the monogram. Frank Gehry introduced a warped and twisted box purse while Rei Kawakubo deconstructed one with gaping holes. Perhaps no one embodied the spirit of play and durability more than Karl Lagerfeld, who splashed the logo across a trunk-set punching bag and pair of boxing gloves.
Now, on the occasion of the monogram’s 130th anniversary, Louis Vuitton has launched a year-long tribute campaign that includes its new Monogram Anniversary Collection. Drawing from the long legacy of its trunks, the Vache Végétale Naturelle selection, for example, employs LV’s signature supple cowhide. The Monogram Origine brings back the original jacquard weave, and the Time Trunk pieces use trompe-l’œil printing that echoes the style and patina of the house’s historic trunks. It’s a testament not just to the endurance of Louis Vuitton’s timeless designs but to the impact of one simple homage from a son to a father.
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