Treasure BOX

The travel suitcase was the first item made by Louis Vuitton, which paved the path for one of the most famous luxury brands in the world. Two centuries after the birth of the brand’s founder, the trunk has become a symbol of courage and adventurous spirit.

- Marko Mrkaja

The 19 th century was chiefly defined by the rapid development of industry and new, faster methods of overcoming distances that were unimaginable until then. Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, the world seemed closer and smaller, and given the considerable price, travel was reserved to the most privileged members of society. It is not surprising, then, that a number of Maisons appeared around the turn of the century, whose ethos was based on the concept of travel and the conquest of the vast and the unknown. Louis Vuitton was one such brand, that continues its legacy till date. Born into a humble household—a family of carpenters and milliners—Louis set out (on foot) from his hometown of Asnières on the Seine, France at the age of 13 and headed for the City of Light, Paris. As a teenager, he began working in the carpentry studio of a renowned manufacturer of suitcases, Roman Maréchal, who taught him about French high society and how its members defined luxury, which, of course, included travel. Louis was a natural talent, who quickly enchanted the most prestigious personalities, and at one point, he even made suitcases for Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife. As moving on to greater heights was Louis’s greatest strength, he decided to establish his own brand in 1854, at the age of 33.