The Magnifique Podcast
Hi guys! Welcome to Magnifique, your favorite fashion lovers podcast.
My names Gabrielle and I’m a fashion industry newb, though I’ve loved playing dress up for as long as I can remember. The fashion industry is an intimidating space, filled with elitist know-it-alls, it's hard to feel invited to learn about the rich history behind modern-day fashion.
I started this podcast because time after time, I've tried to find podcasts to learn more about hmm: how Gilded Age fashion influences modern-day attire, or Marc Jacobs being the reason for Louis Vuittons ready-to-wear line, OR how Levi Strauss pioneered Western Denim…and I'm met with a graveyard of results. I can't find anything! So I guess if I want something in this niche, I must do it myself. I invite you to join me as I expand my knowledge of the fashion space. Together we'll kinda be geniuses of fashion.
The Magnifique Podcast
Episode 20 - Icons of Innovation Inside Louis Vuitton's Creative Evolution
Unlock the secrets behind one of the world's most iconic luxury brands, Louis Vuitton, as we journey through its rich history and groundbreaking innovations. Discover how his flat-top trunk revolutionized travel and set the foundation for a brand.
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Hi everyone and welcome to Magnifique, your go-to podcast for all things fashion. I'm your host, gabrielle, and today we discuss Louis Vuitton, a name that has lived in the luxury space for over 150 years. I was inspired to do a little deep dive into the history because I recently found out that Pharrell Williams was the new artistic director of menswear, and I said hold up, hold up. When did this happen? I don't know much about the company, nor do I know much about Pharrell, but how'd we get here? What was the inspiration? So thus we embark. Feel free to get cozy, buckle up. We have an episode for you, so let's just get into it.
Speaker 1:On August 4th 1821, in Anche, france, a small village in eastern France, louis Vuitton was born, and so was my dog on this day in 2020, august 4th. So I don't want to say that my dog is a reincarnation of Louis Vuitton, but she is a creative genius. So who's really to say? We can't? It's too early to determine, and, of course, he would have a self-named brand. He was a Leo. Truly, what more did you expect? I have been reading more into my astrology, which is so fun and really just an awesome way to kickstart this, but I have a lot more Leo than I anticipated. So maybe actually I'm the reincarnation of Louis Vuitton. Have we ever stopped to think about that?
Speaker 1:He was born to Xavier Vuitton and Caron Gaillard Caron. His mother passed away when he was 10 years old, leaving his father to remarry a woman who did not like Louis at all, just wasn't a big fan. She was also too strict, leaving Louis with no other choice but to run away at 13. Of course, naturally, he trudged on foot to Paris to start his new life, and this trudge took three years to officially make it. He collected odd jobs along his way to support himself, but finally along his way to support himself, but finally, finally arrived, when he was 16 years old in 1837, to Paris, france. It was here that he started working as an apprentice for a trunk designer, monsieur Marcal. Back then, the main form of transportation was horse-drawn carriages. Main form of transportation was horse-drawn carriages, boats, trains, general places that your luggage would just get thrown about in every which way. So craftsmen like Vatan were called to pack up and protect the traveler's objects, and he became a highly skilled and valued craftsman, perfect for designing unique and custom boxes. He even went on to manage the highest esteemed clients of Western Europe, such as Napoleon III's wife, empress Eugene de Montego, and he stayed working with Monsieur for 17 years before leaving to start his own business ventures. In this new business venture, he started by creating travel boxes of his own and dedicating his brand to the flat-top trunk. The flat-top trunk becomes his signature move, so let's keep an eye on that Around this time. He also gets married to Clemens Emil Parrault soon after everything went down with Monsieur in 1854.
Speaker 1:Now Louis Vuitton's biggest legacy to date is the invention of the flat top trunk. It was introduced in 1859. Sorry, 1858. This was revolutionary at the time because the travel boxes then were circular and took up a good amount of space. So I don't know how nobody innovated sooner. But more room for Louis, flat tops allowed for stacking, which saved space and allowed clientele to travel more. So it was a hit. Everyone loved it. People wanted more from him. So in 1859 Louis Vuitton opened its first location as an atelier in Osnier, just north of Paris but on the Seine, to provide for convenience and ease of trade. This shop started with 20 employees but would soon grow to 200 by 1914, and each craftsman here worked to create leather goods and special orders from clients at the time of Western Europe, but it turns to all over the world. They are a global sensation. The original atelier included an expansion space that was used as a family residence throughout the years, but it's now preserved as a private museum, and today this location is exclusively for very special orders the most special of the special.
Speaker 1:The next innovation that the Louis Vuitton brand came up with was the unpickable lock in 1866. At the time, locks used to be subject to burgling by being cracked open, but Vuitton's single lock system consisted of two springs that prevented the ability of being picked, and it's still used today in their luggage. The innovation was patented by Georges Votin after many years of development, and they were so confident in its ability to be unpickable that they invited Harry Houdini, a famous American escapologist, to try and escape. However, houdini did not end up doing so, but the confidence alone in requesting him is such a feat in its own. During the 1870s, the Franco-Prussian War, the demand for luggage nearly plummeted at the new workshop, and the workshop was ransacked, equipment stolen, destroyed, what have you? But they prevailed. They're still creating masterpieces to this day. So every success story has downfalls.
Speaker 1:I guess In 1880, the label's most iconic canvas pattern. You may know her the Damier print, damier. This print is seen on nearly every Louis Vuitton bag to this day. If it's not the LV monogram, it's the Damier print. Um, to give my two cents, here's my two cents. I'm paying for it. Um, I much prefer the Damier print. I think it's more minimal. But if I had to make the ultimate choice, I'd prefer something even more low-key in that I'd prefer something unbranded. Perhaps just a personal preference. The monogram and the Damier print. Too loud for me. What can I say? I'm just a girl of quiet luxuries who owns nothing from this brand. So who am I to talk? How about that?
Speaker 1:In 1892, we see the sudden death of Mr Louis Vuitton at the age of 70 due to cancer, and his son, georges, succeeds him as the company head. But Georges had a mission for the company and it was to make Louis Vuitton a worldwide brand name. And he takes the LV luggage line to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair where he meets John Wanamaker, a US businessman, to bring LV to the US markets and the American department stores. And this is the start of LV's eventual global influence. He just had to die for his global influence to kick in. I don't need to say that In 1896, the brand debuted its signature monogram bag, the LV monogram.
Speaker 1:You've seen her, you love her. This pattern was created to fend off any attempts at counterfeiting the pattern and it was conceptualized once again by Georgis himself. I don't like the monogram, I don't like it, but that's, that's just me. Louis Vuitton opened its first flagship store on the Champs-Élysées in 1913. It brought many, many fashion elites to the storefront, ie Gabrielle, coco Chanel you may know her from the dedicated episode about her and in 1925, she commissioned a handbag which had not been typical for the brand but anything for Gabrielle. Right In 1930, chanel signed off for the mass production of these handbags and you may know her as the Alma.
Speaker 1:I'll say it, the Alma is gorgeous and I would consider it in an unbranded colorway. Like I said, I'm so sorry to Georges, I could not get on board with the monogram. It's just not for me. However, I've seen the Alma in red. I love her very much. I love her very much. I'd like four, I'd like 400 million. Beautiful work, thank you. Thank you, gabrielle, chanel Soon after we see the release of the Kapal soft duffel bag in 1924.
Speaker 1:The year varied. When I was checking my sources, I saw it in 1924. I also saw it in 1930. So either or. But in 1930, we saw the release of the Express, a smaller version of the Kapal bag. She was later renamed to the Speedy and the Speedy bag remains one of LV's top sellers to this day. I actually just read a Vogue article the other day that boasted about the it Boys starting to sport it more casually. Of course we see Pharrell everywhere and anywhere with that thing, but the article most notably pointed out that Lebron james and jacob elordi have been spotted out and with the bag, and while I don't think these two closely share the same fan base, I think I think they both have incredible influence and what their families leans towards as far as fashion goes. So maybe we'll see the beanie bag all around town, maybe it'll have a TikTok moment.
Speaker 1:Here we are in 1936. Georges Vuitton passes away and his son, gaston Vuitton, takes over, and we're in the dreaded decade of all fashion history. This is the decade where we see the most disappointment out of our beloved brands, the brand Louis Vuitton openly supported and collaborated with the Nazi party during the German occupation of France. This was an endorsement by the members of the Vuitton family, and this factoid was largely left undiscussed until Stefani Bonvichini released a book called Louis Vuitton A French Saga, and in the book it says that members of the Vuitton family actively supported the puppet government led by Marshal Philippe Pétain and made some money from their business dealing with the Germans. Bonvettini says that she was given full cooperation by the film when she proposed writing this book a year ago. But when she asked about its wartime activities she was told that the company documents from the year 1930 to 1945 destroyed in a fire. Sorry about that, we just set it on fire. From historical archives she discovered that Louis Vuitton had a store on the ground floor of the fabulous property Hotel du Parc in Vichy where Vuitton set up his puppet government. While the other shopkeepers, including jewelers like Van Cleef, were shut down, vatan was allowed to stay open. I wonder why. But the author of the book says that she talked to surviving members and found that Vatan's grandson Gaston, the wartime head of the company, had instructed his eldest son, henry, to forge links to the big Vatan regime to keep the business going. So whether or not they like fully supported them, they fully acted in accordance with them. So not loving that kind of disappointed. So we move on to 1970. 30 years later, gaston Louis passes away and leaves the reins of the company to his son-in-law, henri Racamier. Racamier, who's to say In 1984, the brand continues toward expansion by becoming a publicly traded company due to the financial recommendation of Joseph Lafont, their financial advisor director.
Speaker 1:Recommendation of Joseph Lafont, their financial advisor director. Under the stewardship of Gaston Louis Vuitton, it expanded its offerings into luxury leather goods and under his reign as well, the brand grew from a family-run business to a global brand with stores all around the world. But now that Henri Racamier is the head. In 1987, louis Vuitton merged with Moet Hennessy, creating LVMH. The conglomerate is co-founded by Moet Hennessy's CEO Alain Chevalier, louis Vuitton's president Henri Racamier and French investor Bernard Arnold. Henri Racamier and French investor Bernard Arnault. The move cements LV's international reputation amongst the growth and reputation of the MH portion of the merger.
Speaker 1:During and after this yes, I know what I said there was an internal company turmoil. Bernard Arnault successfully ousted Racamier from the company and the LVMH board in 1989. Bernard wanted more stake in, say, the conglomerate. He said I'm going to be selfish, I'm going to do a selfish move right now. Oust this man.
Speaker 1:So in 96, it was the 100-year anniversary of the monogram canvas, so Louis Vuitton collaborated with six top designers from the world to create unique iterations of the luggage. This results in various displays and world capitals to share the innovation with fashion lovers across the world. So what did we have? We had a vinyl box by Helmut Lang, hiking bag from Romeo Gigli, shoe trunk from Manolo Blahnik, weekend bag from Isaac Mizrahi, bustle bag from Vivian Westwood, loving that. So that's kind of where they came from. Let's talk about where they go. Where did you come from? Where did you go? Where did they go? Cotton Eye, joe. Let's talk about their artistic directors, because they have various eras of artistic directors and they do really incredible things with each. So let's talk about 1997. Marc Jacobs joins LV as the artistic director of Women's Wear. Mark Jacobs joins LV as the artistic director of women's wear. Not long after, in 1998, louis Vuitton debuts the first ready-to-wear line of the brand's being.
Speaker 1:Mark Jacobs was born in New York in 1963. He was brought up by his paternal grandmother. His grandmother saw his creative spark and instilled the art of sewing and knitting in him at a young age. She really wanted him to flourish in his field. This creative spark turned into a passion for fashion and he attends High School of Art and Design and later attends Parsons School of Design. When he was not in school he worked as a storekeeper charivari, an upper west side concept store. He remained a high achiever at just age 25 when he was appointed artistic director of perry ellis, creating a largely controversial grunge collection, and due to this he was immediately dismissed from his role. But they kind of flopped there because his controversial grunge collection received a raving review from Miss Anna Wintour herself. Perhaps with the win of Anna, it's kind of hard to determine he wins his first ever Women's Wear Designer of the Year award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. So now that he's at Louis Vuitton, he also brings his grungy alternative aura.
Speaker 1:He continues to innovate the brand by launching LV Jewelry in 2001. The Charm Bracelet was the first piece that he debuted. I don't know Angelina Jolie, scarlett Johansson, jennifer Lawrence nope, jennifer Lopez all as ambassadors of LB Jewelry. He would also go on to collaborate with artists, such as 2001 Steven Sprouse, to create a line of limited edition bags. He customized bags with Sprouse's signature graffiti and he offered select pieces to only VIP LV clientele. And then he also collaborated in 2002 with Takashi Murakami, with a new line of monogram multicolored bags and accessories. You've seen this. You have seen it everywhere and it's honestly making a comeback.
Speaker 1:With y2k, you wanted to appeal to a younger audience by displaying a colorful 33 colors to be exact lv monogram on a black and white colored canvas bag. Um, I'll post it on my instagram story if you need a visual, but it's a white typically. It's what? Typically? From what I've seen, a white canvas bag with the rainbow LV logo monogram. You've definitely seen it, but I'll show you a picture. And then we come to 2007,.
Speaker 1:The one, the only Neverfull was introduced. With the ability to carry up to 200 pounds, it is arguably one of LV's most sought-after bags in the modern era. I, before knowing anything about LV, I have exclusively heard about the Neverfull. It is people's dream bag. They really want the Neverfull. It's huge, it's massive. It never appealed to me, but I think it is very pretty. I like the red lining. It never appealed to me, but I think it is very pretty. I like the red lining. Well, I think the red lining is special, right?
Speaker 1:Marc Jacobs has been on my mind a lot recently, mainly because he guest-edited the December issue of Vogue with Anna Wintour, and I just think he's fabulous. His vision is chef's kiss. The way he walks into any fashion sector just pops off. Kiss your brain. Mark jacobs, you are phenomenal. Let me know if you guys want an in-depth episode about him. I think he is so spectacular. So mark jacob leaves. He leaves 2013. He steps away so that he can focus on his own brand. You may know it, marc Jacobs. So what do we do now that Marc Jacobs is gone, nicolas Jaskier takes over.
Speaker 1:He was previously the creative director at Balenciaga. He was born in 1971 in Comines and he makes his first fashion appearance at age 15, with honestly many apprenticeships, but his big break was in 1991. After finishing his schooling, he became the creative assistant at Jean-Paul Gaultier. He would go on to join Balenciaga in 1995, only to become the creative director by 1997. There he's known for his futuristic designs and silhouettes, while maintaining somehow Parisian chic. He won his first Best Designer of the Year award from CDFA in 2001, and he receives Fashion Innovator Award of the Year in 2011 by the Wall Street Journal. He also brings the Louis Vuitton shows across the world. You may have seen him in the Louvre in Paris, the Jean-Sugio Bridge in Seoul and then the New York TWA Flight Center in 2019. He remains the artistic director of womenswear to this day and I'd say he still remains pushing the boundaries of the futuristic meets modern in a very beautiful and elegant way. I really respect the work he's done. But now let's get into menswear. How about? Kim Jones was originally the artistic director of menswear, but he left in 2018 to pursue Creative Director of Dior Homme.
Speaker 1:You may recognize Virgil Abloh's name from being the founder of Off-White. He succeeds Jones in the position in 2018. Now Off-White is a streetwear brand garnering many successful collaborations, and is associated with Nike, jimmy Choo, kith Concept and Ikea. Abloh's success in building and branding Off-White was what made him so attractive to the LV brand and LVMH.
Speaker 1:A little bit about Virgil Abloh. He was born in Rockford, illinois, in 1980. He's a man of many trades. He's an artist, he's an architect, an engineer, a creative director and a designer. He's a trained architect from the University of Wisconsin in symbol engineering and he's pals, or was pals, with Kanye West. Abloh served as a creative director for Kanye West until launching his own label, py Pyrex Vision, in 2012. Abloh's been in the fashion conscious space since 2009, when he opened his RSVP Gallery concept store in Chicago, and he's been on the minds of LVMH since 2015, when he was among the finalists of the LVMH Prize Award to design Jacques Meus and Marquise Almeria. Abloh's debut presentation features walks from Thaybar Cardi, steve Lacey, dev Hines and Kid Cudi. Unfortunately, though, virgil passes away in 2021 due to a private battle with cancer. Abloh's impact on the LV space was bringing streetwear into the luxury space, and in 2019, louis Vuitton was named Forbes' most valuable brand due to Abloh's impact being worth $39.3 billion. Now the men's artistic director base and position until 2023, when Pharrell Williams was named the artistic director of menswear. Two years after Virgil's untimely passing, pharrell Williams debuts his presentation at Paris Fashion Week in June 2023. You may know Pharrell Williams from Feeling Happy, where he's using the Minions as his muse or perhaps the narrator of the 2019 DreamWorks adaptation of the Grinch.
Speaker 1:Pharrell's history with the brand dates all the way back to the early 2000s, when they collabed on a sunglass line. His history in the fashion space in general dates back to his Billionaire Boys Club streetwear brand in 2003. He creates a movement in the fashion space that has been previously unseen. Since coming into the scene, he's already recruited brand ambassadors. You may know them Rihanna and LeBron James I know them. Bron James I know them.
Speaker 1:I listened to the Business of Fashion podcast to kind of get more of a grasp of what's going on. This is really the podcast that ignited my interest in Louis Vuitton. So during this interview, he expresses that right now, his main goal as artistic director is to highlight communities that LV attributes a lot of its revenue and success from, which is the Black American. Wanting to highlight and invite Black American culture into the LV space. He also mentioned wanting to take LV in a direction not yet seen before.
Speaker 1:In my opinion, pharrell is a fabulously talented artist. I'm so excited to see what he does with the brand. Like I said, his first runway was in 2023. That looked fabulous. Looking through his collection as a whole, his style if I had to describe it, it's where streetwear and funk come to get married in the most beautiful song and dance. He seems to be very 70s inspired, which I'm thoroughly enjoying.
Speaker 1:So what's next? What's next for LV? We're in present day. What's the future looking like?
Speaker 1:So it seems they have four major goals, one being sustainability. Louis Vuitton is committed to becoming a more sustainable brand, with the goal to achieve a 100% eco-design across all product lines in 2025. The brand has already made progress for using and recycling about 93% of vents and window materials and using 69% renewable energy in their workshops and logistics. Louis Vuitton is also working to replace its coated canvas with Eco Nylon, a sustainable nylon made from ocean and landfill waste. Goal number two they want to work on innovation.
Speaker 1:Louis Vuitton will continue to create and expand its offerings, with a focus on a balancing tradition with modernity. The brand will likely continue to set trends and push boundaries. I love to see it. And then, goal number three relevance. Louis Vuitton will need to keep finding ways to remain relevant and appeal to the younger crowd. The brand will need to stay true to its commitment to quality and craftsmanship, while adapting to ever-changing trends and preferences.
Speaker 1:Right now, what I'm seeing is that Emma Chamberlain is doing a lot of the heavy lifting as far as the Gen Z crowd. She's been a brand ambassador since, I think, like 2019, where she goes to like every Louis Vuitton event and documents it and shows the outfits, and I would say that's one of my more hip and like trendy ways that I've seen and introduced to Louis Vuitton as a Gen Z. I think she was the first like oh, this is more than just a bag, they also make really cute clothes. And the fourth and final goal is they want to be more integrated in sports. Louis Vuitton has signed a historic deal with Formula One and played a key role at the Paris Olympics and even eyeing Paris FC for designs, brand partnerships, collaborations, what have you. So LV is pretty stacked. Looking up, they have no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. Looking up, they have no intentions of slowing down anytime soon, and I'm so excited to see what the future holds for them.
Speaker 1:Like I said, before doing this, I knew nothing about the brand, but I really I mean, other than the 1940s, that was rough I'm really impressed by the brand. I think that they make incredible designs. I will be forever a hater of the monogram, but historically that was really revolutionary for the time, so I'll give them credit there. Um, yeah, I'm, overall, just Can't wait to see what the brand does. Next. I'm really excited for Pharrell. He has some really cool stuff. Okay, that was Louis Vuitton. I hope you enjoyed. I hope you learned something. Um, if you want to keep up to date with me, I'll have my links in the description. If not, that's okay too. I know you're just here for the one episode and that's fine, but until next time, bye guys.
