Ch. 10 - Product Concepts

 The company started in France and is recognized worldwide for creating specialty products. Louis Vuitton, has been a part of the fashion industry for approximately 157 years dating back to the 19th century.  Each product is carefully crafted using the finest materials. Originally Louis Vuitton created luggage in the mid-1800’s. The company expanded the product offering to handbags in the early 1890’s. 
A couple of weeks ago it was announced that Karl Lagerfeld had created a Louis Vuitton punching bag that retails for $175,000. The Chanel and Fendi designer, and a few other high-level creatives were invited to celebrate the LV monogram logo by reinterpreting the intertwining letters on a selection of fashion and lifestyle goods. How many, if any, of the 25 boxing bags the French luxury brand expect to sell is unknown. But this kind of extraordinary marketing exercises (the true identity of the punching bag and other such costly one-offs) is in line with Louis Vuitton’s position in the contemporary luxury market. The French bag maker, founded in 1854, holds a very special place at the top of the fashion pyramid; Louis Vuitton is seen as a bellwether for the rest of the industry.

In 1997, Marc Jacobs was hired by the Louis Vuitton Company to be the label’s artistic director . 
That year he introduced the company’s first ready-to-wear line of clothing. This was the first time that the Louis Vuitton Company ventured to a new product offering other than luggage and handbags. Today Louis Vuitton product offerings also include cosmetic and vanity cases, sunglasses, shoes, scarves and accessories, belts, timepieces, and fine jewelry. The service offerings of Louis Vuitton are the impeccable quality and make of the luxury products. The company built its foundation on the handwork that goes into each of its custom made products. 

Since the company first began, all products have been concentrated on by the art of craftsmanship . The Louis Vuitton Company does not use machinery to mass produce their handbags. Just a few years ago 20-30 craftsmen were needed to assemble the Louis Vuitton “Reade” tote bag in approximately an eight-day period.

The original pattern of Louis Vuitton's trunks was a striped canvas. However, as the label became more and more popular, it was copied more and more. So, in 1889, Louis and Georges Vuitton decided to change their signature pattern to a brown draught board pattern on a beige background.This new pattern was the very first registered trademark (Marque L. Vuitton despise'). The new pattern was referred to as the Damier canvas. After Louis Vuitton died, his son Georges became the mastermind behind running the company. Georges had true international ambitions, with plans to expand into the United States. By this time, competitors had also copied the Damier canvas. It was time to come up with a new signature pattern that was much more difficult to copy. Georges created the new motif, which was comprised of a beige circle containing a four-petal flower, a curved beige lozenge containing a four-pointed curved star, a star with a point in the center, and the initials LV in memory of his father. Finally, the monogram canvas that is so well known today was born. One main thing to remember, Louis Vuitton, is always about perfection, and would never put out anything less than that. At Louis Vuitton Malletier, 85% of the corrugated packaging used to transport products is totally composed of recycled fibers. The labeling is purely informative. In its labels, Louis Vuitton describes the material used for the products, where these products are made and the bar code.