For as long as I can remember I wanted a Louis Vuitton bag. Ever since I was a little girl I was completely obsessed with fashion, clothes and designer bags. Naturally, when I finally got my first Louis Vuitton bag (New Wave) I was over the moon.

After that experience, and a few more bags later, my love for Louis Vuitton bags was sealed. I was hooked! I liked the bags, the whole shopping experience and the fact that these bags are really good fashion statement piece. You can wear super simple combo but you are just a bag away from a perfect outfit.

Like most of us who like fashion and to dress up, I also love to read and learn all I can about history of fashion, biographies of famous designers and interesting facts about my favorite brands. If you are like me and would like to find out some interesting (and maybe even never heard before) facts about Louis Vuitton, keep reading.

Louis Vuitton History

Louis Vuitton started his career as a suitcase designer of the Empress Eugenie, at the court of Napoleon III. At that time, the upscale company packed their noble clothes to travel with the coach into unwieldy crates with vaulted lids. With the invention of the railroad, more maneuverability was suddenly required and a business idea was born for Louis Vuitton.

He created stackable cases with flat covers and opened his first shop for cases in Paris in 1854, becoming the founder of the brand, which became an international company two centuries later. The traditionally rich cupboard and overturning cases are still made from long-standing poplar wood for the frames, exotic plywood for floor and lid as well as beechwood for the moldings. The suitcases are hand-sewn and glued together by hand. Each brass nail is hammered with a hammer. Over the years only the reference has changed.

Louis Vuitton Brand Logo

The consistent brand strategy of Louis Vuitton is legendary. In 1896 Louis’ son Georges Vuitton invented the legendary Louis Vuitton logo – the intricate initials of his father in an olive-gold pattern of flowers. With the invention of Louis Vuitton’s logo, a cult was born, which is still a symbol of stylish luxury. The colors olive, brown and gold in combination with the legendary logo are to this day the recognition mark of the house.

Louis Vuitton Collections

Louis Vuitton introduced their first leather handbag in 1930, called the ‘Speedy’, and never looked back. In 1997, the company branched out to include a fashion, accessory and perfume line. They still create custom made pieces for their high-end clientele, and all of their luggage and bags are hand-made by highly skilled craftsmen/women.

Louis Vuitton Monogram

The brand is known to be very up-close and touchy about its designs. Each piece is crafted with much precision and passion, so much so it’s trademarked striped pattern and color combinations became its signature. Although, the brand’s increasing popularity heightened counterfeits and that’s when to Louis Vuitton’s son, Georges Vuitton came up with the idea of the famous Louis Vuitton Monogram – three floral motifs and the founder’s initials interlaced.

Bag Testing

All Louis Vuitton products undergo vigorous quality tests. The bags are packed with three and a half kilograms of weight and tested for durability by mechanisms such as – dropping them from about half a meter height consecutively for the duration of four days! For further test of endurance, the material used in the making, undergoes bombardment of ultraviolet rays to ensure resistance to fading. The zippers on the bags are tugged open and shut around 5,000 times to ensure they work well while in the hands of a customer.

Audrey Hepburn and Speedy

The Speedy bag by Louis Vuitton was launched in 1930. The bag gained worldwide success only in the 1960s, when film and fashion icon, Audrey Hepburn requested a small custom-made Speedy for herself.

Coco Chanel and Alma

The classic Alma bag is one of the most sought after bags and iconic designs of the fashion house. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, Gabrielle Chanel herself carried an Alma at one point. It was the only Louis Vuitton bag she ever favored, besides her own creations.

LV Bags are Super Bags

Louis Vuitton bags are not just waterproof but they are fireproof as well! This certainly makes the LV bags – timeless. What this means is, if you buy a Louis Vuitton bag today, you will be able to use it for another 20 years, at the least. This is one of the reasons why Louis Vuitton bags are so expensive, other than the age old brand name and heritage that it brings. Louis Vuitton bags are also hand-made.

Let’s Burn Them All!

Hold your breath because this fact is not so easy to digest. After every season, if any of Louis Vuitton products are not sold, they are sent back to its factory in France and are shredded or burnt, in order to sustain an item’s value and class of brand. Also, you will never find Louis Vuitton on discount. Period.

A Sad Fact

99% of Louis Vuitton merchandise in the world is fake. Here’s a tip to know whether your LV bag is real or not – keep an eye out for the handles and piping of the bags. The handles and piping of original LV bags are made of cow-hide leather which is a light tan colour by nature. The edge is dyed red with yellow stitching. After using the bag for a few weeks, the leather handle is supposed to change into darker brown. If it doesn’t, then it’s a fake.

What do you think about Louis Vuitton facts? Who is your favorite designer?