MEDIA INFORMATION

 
 
 
COLLECTION NAME:
Luxury Lab
Record
Product:
Steamer Trunk
Brand:
Louis Vuitton
Description:
While dining with world-famous fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth in 1875, Louis Vuitton discovered a secret: the puffed dress was going out of vogue. The next day, Vuitton fashioned a new trunk, measured to fit the next era of dresses. On that fortuitous day, two legends were born.
Unique in its design, the Louis Vuitton steamer trunk was made for traveling. Engineered with a clever interior where dresses and clothes could simply be hung up, the trunk no longer required its owner to unpack. According to the 1914 company catalog, wardrobe trunks were crafted in various sizes and tailored to both men and women. For women, the trunk fit more than a dozen pieces of clothing or dresses, including shoes, gloves, and hats, while the men’s trunk was slightly larger to accommodate clothes of a bigger size. Both met the standards of American railway companies.
An entrepreneur, Vuitton revolutionized the travel trunk. At a time when most traveled by stagecoach, trunks featured dome-shaped tops to prevent the collection of mud and rain. As travel evolved and trains and ocean liners grew in popularity, Vuitton recognized an opportunity to separate himself in the luggage industry by crafting trunks with flat lids that were easier to stack and ship. The high demand for this new trunk, which also featured canvas as opposed to traditional leather, grew Vuitton’s business and provided the freedom to relocate to a larger workshop close to the Louvre. Here, Vuitton created the iconic Damier canvas, the checkerboard pattern of red and white, or beige and brown. One hundred years later, in 1998, the pattern was reintroduced as the Damier Ebene, a black canvas base under a brown checkerboard pattern. Equally iconic and recognizable is the Monogram canvas found on the Louis Vuitton steamer trunk. Created in 1896 by Louis’ son Georges, the celebrated canvas is known for its interlocking “L” and “V” as well as quatrefoils and fleur motifs — a bold and iconic ode to his father.
Category:
Bags & Leather Goods
Type:
Luggage
Relevant Department:
ACCE, FASH, LXMT

Steamer Trunk

Steamer Trunk