5 minute read
COLLECTED WORKS
by Dales Life
Louis Vuitton
ouis Vuitton is one of the world’s most famous fashion brands, rivalled only by Chanel in terms of prestige and desirability. Unsurprisingly the company’s products are auction-house favourites, and many highly desirable Louis Vuitton items have gone under the hammer at Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn.
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Louis Vuitton, founder of the brand, was born in rural France just over 200 years ago. Orphaned at an early age, he left his foster home when he was 13. By the age of 16 he had worked his way to Paris, where he apprenticed himself to a trunk maker and quickly gained a reputation for his skill at the trade. So highly regarded was he that he eventually gained the position of personal trunk-maker and packer to Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie.
STACKING SENSATION
In 1854 Louis set up his first shop. Shortly afterwards, spotting a gap in the market, he introduced his own design of trunk. Up until this time travel trunks had been made in leather, and were round-topped. Louis, however, made his trunks from shellacked canvas and with flat tops. Lightweight, waterproof and easy to stack, his innovative luggage was an immediate hit with wealthy international travellers.
Vuitton’s success inspired copycats and fakers, and to defend itself against this threat the company began introducing new canvas patterns of its own. The striped Trianon canvas appeared in 1876, and the famous Damier canvas, incorporating the Louis Vuitton logo, made its début in 1888. Further variations, including the classic Monogram canvas, were to follow.
Early Vuitton flat-topped travelling trunks have long been popular with interior designers, says Tennants’ textile expert Sarah White. An example painted with Lonsdale family livery (to make it easily identifiable amongst other trunks) sold at the firm’s Leyburn auction house for £3,800 a few years back.
A KEY DEVELOPMENT
Louis Vuitton’s rapidly growing company kept itself at the forefront of the luxury travel market by dint of constant innovation. One notable example of this was the ‘unpickable’ tumbler lock patented by Louis’ son Georges. It was designed to safeguard the contents of travellers’ luggage against opportunistic thieves and it is still in use today.
As the nature of travel changed, the Louis Vuitton luggage range adapted and expanded to match it. Hard-sided suitcases and trunks specifically designed for the growing number of clients with smart new motor cars were amongst the additions. Soon came rolling suitcases, cabin bags and a variety of other soft luggage.
The iconic Louis Vuitton Keepall travel bag was introduced in the 1930s. Available in four different sizes and perfect for those who are travelling light, the Keepall is still in production today and is a favourite with celebrities. Since its initial appearance it has been made in a wide variety of different canvases and leathers. Examples in good condition do well at auction, and limited editions – which were often hard to come by in the first instance – are especially highly sought after.
A Louis Vuitton trunk painted with Lonsdale family livery. Sold by Tennants for £3,800.
A Louis Vuitton Ellipse handbag with padlock and keys. Sold by Tennants for £600.
A Louis Vuitton monogrammed Pegasus 70 rolling suitcase with a brown suit carrier.
Sold by Tennants for £650.
A Louis Vuitton canvas Keepall 60 holdall with tan leather straps, handles and Vuitton ID tag. Sold by Tennants for £450.
Louis Vuitton classics: the Alma handbag, originally designed for Coco Chanel, and the Speedy day bag. Once again, both are still in production today. Of course there have been other designs, such as the elegantly curved Ellipse bag, that have now been discontinued and are only available on the secondhand market.
Modern Vuitton bags sold at auction can come close to achieving current retail prices if two determined buyers are bidding against each other, says Sarah, but at other times you can be lucky and pick up something that’s barely been used at a bargain price.
A Louis Vuitton red Epi leather Jasmin bag. Sold by Tennants for £300. Just as Louis Vuitton himself created unique canvases to ensure the exclusivity of his products, the company he founded introduced its own unique and instantly recognisable Epi leather a century later, in 1985. Epi leather is made from supple calfskin, tanned, dyed and textured with wavy horizontal lines. It is now used on bags, wallets, purses, belts, watch straps and even music boxes and billiard tables.
Nowadays the Louis Vuitton brand is worth billions and has more than 400 stores worldwide. It has diversified well beyond the original remit of luggage into a dizzying range of fashion and lifestyle goods, including hats, shoes, sunglasses, cufflinks, watches, smartphone accessories, portable speakers, kites and jigsaws. With no sign of enthusiasm for the brand diminishing, it is likely to remain an auction house staple for the foreseeable future. For more information about Tennants Auctioneers, or to arrange a valuation, visit tennants.co.uk or call 01969 623780
A limited edition Louis Vuitton Keepall 50 bandoulière circa 2006 in yellow and black printed canvas. Auction estimate £1,500 to £2,000.
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