LV, LV everywhere: on bags of every shape and size, on trolleys and backpacks, on wallets, shoes, fabrics. How is it that the initials of a French gentleman named Louis Vuitton born more than two hundred years ago, proposed repeatedly on a canvas with a now distinctive design, are so desired and worn by people of all latitudes, one wonders. And it is a consideration that is advanced in this time, because precisely in this time 130 years ago (it was 1896) that monogram was conceived, reasoned and produced.

An exceptional phenomenon to resist the rapidity of tastes and changes in lifestyles and habits; interesting to analyze its path in the historical and social dimension, having established the evidence of having remained recognisable, desired, imitated and copied despite the raging temporariness of fleeting fashions.

Louis Vuitton, between exclusivity and imitations

And to say that in the intentions of George Vuitton, son of the founder of the company, the objective of the ‘Monogram’ – in addition to that of paying homage to his father who had passed away a few years earlier – was to protect the uniqueness of the trunks he designed, already imitated at the end of the 19th century also due to the fame of their ingenious lock made to prevent theft (and said to be so safe as to challenge even Harry Houdini, the illusionist known for his impossible escapes, to free yourself from a trunk with a Vuitton lock). More than a century later, the paradox is that LV has become one of the most falsified luxury brands – 13 thousand criminal proceedings against counterfeiting, 6 thousand police operations and a thousand arrests last year alone, according to data reported on Vuitton’s official website -, a consequence of the worldwide fame of a logo born as a “universal symbol of heritage, culture and innovation” and then established itself as a pioneer of a certain modernity.

Because, as strange as it may be to think about it now, among the many branded initials that fill the market, it should be remembered that Louis Vuitton’s Monogram, conceived in 1896 and patented a year later, is considered one of the first modern logos in the fullest sense, a distinctive sign of belonging that the fashion sector would take as a model in the future.

The goal of LV

George Vuitton’s goal was to create a symbol “capable of being printed or embossed in any color and on any surface: canvas, leather or paper”. And, as we said, to also become a detail guaranteeing authenticity, as well as resistance to deterioration. Therefore, the craftsman’s heir added a new decorative motif with stylized flowers to the initials of his father’s name, inspired by the neo-Gothic decorations and the Japonism that influenced the Parisian cultural climate at the time.

“First of all, the initials of the Maison – LV – are intertwined so as to remain perfectly legible. Then a diamond. To give it a specific character, he made its sides concave with a flower with four petals in the center. Then the extension of this flower into a positive image. Finally, a circle containing a flower with four rounded petals”, explained George Vuitton’s son, Gaston-Louis Vuitton, in 1965. The result was a meeting between East and West, a balance of geometries that would have evoked nobility and heralded minimalism, thus intercepting the spirit of nascent modernity.

A decorative theme then unique in its kind which in 1959 also became widespread due to the use of a coated, flexible and waterproof canvas, no longer only on rigid trunks, but also on bags useful for an ever-changing everyday life. Louis Vuitton thus began to broaden the circle of its customers, predisposed to travel, but also to live everyday life with a detail that stood out for such a particular decorative motif among a coming and going of anonymous bags and handbags.

Because LV never goes out of fashion

How LV has managed and still does to remain among the most well-known, recognizable and coveted symbols in the world is a fact that probably finds its reason both in the ability of the Vuitton maison to adapt to epochal changes, while preserving its identity handed down through careful communication, and in the choice criteria of consumers, driven to prefer one brand rather than another due to personal taste, but not only.

From the first aspect, just think of the many collaborations that, from 1996 onwards, Vuitton has started with exponents of design and art to reinterpret the Monogram. Vivienne Westwood, Azzedine Alaia, Manolo Blahnik, Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Louboutin, Takashi Murakami are some of the artists who in recent years have contributed to understanding how a universally known canvas can lend itself to the creativity of others while remaining recognisable, predisposed to a change which, while it occurs, certifies the identifying power of its origins.

From the customer’s point of view, however, the idea is that what prevails in the choice of such an infamous symbol is the certainty of owning an accessory free from the changeability of trends, but also the desire and conviction to recognize oneself, to be recognized and instantly recognizable as admirers of a brand evocative of a certain socioeconomic condition. In recent times, the service that allows the customer to put their initials on the ancient Monogram has been increasingly used, a detail that suggests how widespread the desire to affirm one’s identity is within the reassuring confines of a century-old tradition that guarantees durability and reflects renown.

The bag, in short, as a vehicle of a message which, like clothing – as well explained by the psychologist expert in the psychology of fashion and image Chiara Salomone – can have a specific personal meaning within a cultural and social context, and therefore be interpreted according to personal parameters.

How clothes talk about us (and can reveal more than we think)

What is a Monogram LV bag made of and how much does it cost

And this despite the costs certainly not within the reach of all budgets: taking the ‘Speedy’ model as a reference, one of the iconic models with zip and handles, they range from 1600 euros for its classic miniature version (16 x 10 x 7.5 cm in length, height, width) to 4200 euros for the ‘Speedy Soft 30 Boho’ enriched with details such as ostrich leather finishes and the chain with colored beads, and completed with key ring and address label (30 x 21 x 17 cm).

Data and prices are reported on the official Louis Vuitton website which indicates “natural cowhide, a leather finished using vegetable tanning techniques” for the composition of the finishes and, in the “care instructions” section, the ‘Monogram canvas’ which the company’s press office, contacted for a specification on the materials, explains is composed of a linen-cotton blend: “As regards the details and finishes such as the handles, they are made of natural cowhide, chosen for its durability and for the aesthetic evolution it acquires over time”.

A point, then, is dedicated to “sustainability” and specifies that “the leather used for this product was processed in a tannery controlled and certified by the Leather Working Group (LWG), which guarantees the highest environmental standards in the matter of leather tanning”, with a reference to the regulations followed which “require tanneries to reduce water and energy consumption, as well as not to use substances that are potentially harmful” and to the detail that the tanneries with which the company collaborates are all located in Europe.

In 2022, Louis Vuitton – a company that we remember is part of the LVMH group, leader of the key luxury sectors including, in addition to fashion and leather goods, perfumes and cosmetics, watches and jewelery – increased prices globally due to the increase in production and transport costs to protect its profit margins. The news and the reason in a statement reported by the Reuters news agency: “The price adjustment takes into account changes in production costs, raw materials, transportation and inflation,” said a spokesperson for the French luxury goods company in China.

LV today, 130 years later

On the occasion of the 130th anniversary of its legendary Monogram, Louis Vuitton presented three exclusive collections and re-told iconic models such as Speedy, Noé, Alma and Neverfull. “The shapes are as iconic as the Monogram. The richness of a maison is having historical, timeless pieces. Seasons pass, bags come and go, but we have the foundations: this makes us different and impervious to time”, explained the company’s CEO Pietro Beccari in an interview with Corriere della Sera.

Reflecting on the difficult moment experienced by the fashion sector: “More than angry, people are bored. We lived through years in which everything was on sale and we got a little lazy. Today the crisis has many causes: geopolitical, economic, inflation, cost of money. Luxury is no longer just a product, it’s an experience”, observed the CEO of Vuitton, certain that the future is still all to be written because at its basis an over one hundred year old legacy resists: “I have faith in young people: we must not justify the prices, but explain why Vuitton has been Vuitton since 1896. If you do that, people will become fond of it. Be proactive and not apathetic.” And on luxury: “For me, emotion counts. Luxury is products of the highest quality that pass through time, but it is also having time”, his consideration: “In the end we imprison it in objects that transfer emotion to future generations”.