Learn about the History and Louis Vuitton Background

Louis Vuitton was born on August 4^th, 1821, in a water mill in Chabouilla, close to Archay, some 40 kilometers to the north east of Bourg-en-Bresse, a small village of 148 in Jura, in Franche-Comté, in a humble setting. While still very young, he learned to uses the tools under his father who was a miller and a carpenter.

In 1835, when he was 14 years old, he went to try his luck at Paris and walked the 400 kilometers from his village to the capital. By 1837, he had started his career as an apprentice as layetier-emballeur-malletier, a profession that back then used to pack the numerous items of rich clients who went on a trip, and he started to handle the travel chests. His work was so good that the Emperor himself charged him with the care of the items of Empress Eugenie and thus, he became well-known through his know-how between the richest of clients.

The means of transportation started to be modernized due to the steam engine and both international and tourism of well-off classes starts to increase due to the steam train and the steam boat. Louis Vuitton realizes then that there is a new need for innovative baggage with several characteristics aimed to please the new clients: high quality, luxury, functionality and originality.

In 1854, he founds the Louis Vuitton brand and he opens his first store in the Neuve-des-Capucines Street, close to the Vendome plaza (there are still sings over the glass display in Champs-Elysees where “Louis Vuitton, malletier in Paris, house founded in 1854″). Louis invented the Louis Vuitton flat-bottom trunk, which was comfortable, practical and of high quality, much easier to stack for long distance travel than traditional rounded top trunks.

In 1859, his company grows and he transfers his workshop of about twenty employees to Asnieres-sur-Seine, next to the Seine River, in order to take advantage of fluvial transportation. He and his wife have their residence built close to the workshop, which later became a museum, in a street later renamed Louis Vuitton Street.

In 1867, he attends the International Exposition that took place in Paris, with the purpose of showing his collection to clients from all over the country, as well as some who came from overseas.

In the decade that started in 1870, he was joined by his son Georges Vuitton, who encouraged him to expand his business overseas. In 1885, he opened his first store out of France with success on Oxford Street in London, followed by the ones in New York and Philadelphia.

By 1888, he had been so successful that his collection had started to be imitated. In an effort to fight the first imitators, he created the Damier Canvas pattern, which bore a logo that read “marque L. Vuitton déposée,” which is French for “Brand L. Vuitton deposited,” the French equivalent of a trademark.

He died in 1892, leaving his company to his son George, who helped the company reach new successes.

Information About Louis Vutton Purses

(August 4, 1821-February 27, 1892) designed and manufactured luggage in Paris during the second half of the nineteenth century. One hundred years later, Louis Vutton’s signature purses are now a status symbol around the globe and are highly regarded in the fashion world. Learn More on Louis Purses….

Louis Vutton Purses – The Louis Vutton “Monogram Canvas” handbag design

This handbag design can be considered the very first “designer label” on a product (the first in the contemporary sense), as it was created in 1896 with the intent of preventing counterfeiting.[1] Unfortunately, Louis Vutton purses and handbags have become the most counterfeited brand in fashion history: just over 1% of all Louis Vuitton branded purses are not counterfeit.[2] Ironically, the Monogram Canvas that is so counterfeited and famous was not created until after Louis Vutton’s death, when it was created by his son, Georges.

Vutton was born in Anchay, Jura, France (now part of the commune of Lavans-sur-Valouse). He moved from his hometown of Anchay in 1835 at the age of fourteen. Two years later, he arrived in Paris and apprenticed for luggage- and trunk-maker Monsieur Marechal. In 1854, he opened his own store in Paris.

The modern Louis Vuitton company has carefully cultivated a celebrity following and has used famous models and actresses in its marketing campaigns, most notably Uma Thurman whose “sophisticated yet unpredictable image” was a supposed reflection of the Vutton brand. Other models and actresses who have lent their name to the Louis Vutton line include Jennifer Lopez, Scarlett Johansson, Chloe Sevigny, and Christina Ricci and more recently, models Gisele Bundchen, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. All have appeared in ads and commercials for the line. Hayden Christensen has also appeared as model for the company’s luggage and prêt-à-porter lines.

louis Vutton handbags and purses have a considerable list of celebrity adherents who proudly display their Monogram Canvas items. Asia’s songbird Regine Velasquez, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Paris and Nicky Hilton, Nicole Richie, Angelina Jolie, Siti Nurhaliza, Ayumi Hamasaki, Anna Kournikova, Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, Denise Richards, Katharine McPhee and Amisha Patel can all be seen with multiple Vutton accessories.

The Vutton collection of handbags and purses has also created a cult-like following among consumers. Owners of the bags and purses proudly display the logo and designs and refer to the products as “Louis”. The cult following by both celebrities and ordinary consumers has elevated the Louis Vutton brand to the foremost position in accessory design alongside houses such as Gucci, Prada and Hermès.

Prada Handbag History

Prada, S.p.A. is a well-known Italian fashion company (also known as a “label” or “house”) with retail outlets worldwide.

The Prada handbag company, originally known in Italy as “Prada Brothers”, was founded in 1913 by Mario Prada in Milan. In 1978, Mario’s granddaughter Miuccia Prada inherited what was still a leather goods business from her grandfather, and led the company’s expansion into couture with an overall more bohemian style. Miu Miu is a second line of clothing, often simpler and evoking a continual image of high-end vintage items. It was followed by the Prada Sport ‘Linea Rossa’

Currently Prada is considered one of the most influential clothing designers in the fashion industry. Designing Prada hand bags, Prada purses, Prada shoes and Prada clothing and Prada sunglasses.

Prada Company Acquisitions

Following the lead of other companies in a popular trend to absorb as many other fashion houses as possible, Prada took on large debts when it acquired the financially floundering Rome-based house of Fendi in the early 1990s. Prada assumed shares in Fendi with the LVMH company. Prada was unable to turn around/support the money-losing Fendi label, and sold its Fendi shares to LVMH. Prada is still recovering from this debt. In 1999, the company acquired Church’s, the English maker of quality shoes; more recently a 45% stake has been sold to Equinox.

The Prada Group’s other notable purchases in the 1990s were the Helmut Lang and Jil Sander labels. By 2006, however, both labels had been sold. Jil Sander was sold to the private equity firm Change Capital Partners, which is headed by Luc Vandevelde, the chairman of Carrefour, while the Helmut Lang label is now owned by Japanese fashion company Link Theory.

Joint Ventures

In May of 2007, Prada joined forces with cell phone maker LG Electronics to create the LG Prada (KE850) phone. It retails for $800.

Architecture

Prada has commissioned architects, most notably Rem Koolhaas and Herzog & de Meuron, to design flagship stores in various locations.

In 2005, near the West Texas towns of Valentine and Marfa, a pair of Scandinavian artists, Emily Milne and Zoe Brown, unveiled Prada Marfa, a sculpture masquerading as a Prada mini-boutique. Located along an isolated stretch of U.S. Highway 90, the 15 by 25-foot adobe and stucco building was partially funded by the Prada Foundation.

Prada boutiques and megastore

Prada shop, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, MilanPrada has 9 boutiques and 2 epicenter/megastores in the U.S

About Don Ed Hardy

Don Ed Hardy is an American tattoo artist born in Iowa in 1945. He moved to Costa Mesa, California before he was one year old. Ed Hardy was the first Western tattoo artist to incorporate Japanese tattoo aesthetic and technique into his work and is an accomplished fine artist, as well.

In 1982 Ed Hardy and his wife formed Hardy Marks Publications. Under this marque, they began publishing the five book series Tattootime, notable for the high quality of both the articles and the full color images inside. Tattootime was one of several publications, which along with Modern Primitives and Body Art, did much to promote and popularize tattooing with new audiences. Ed Hardy Marks has published twenty-five books, including catalogs of Ed Hardy’s work and the work of Sailor Jerry Collins, as well as other alternative art subjects.

Today Ed Hardy is in semi-retirement when it comes to tattoos, but oversees his San Francisco studio, Tattoo City, having closed Realistic and re-opened Tattoo City as a multi-artist studio in 1999. Since the 1980s, he has concentrated heavily on non-tattoo based art forms, especially printmaking, drawing and painting.

Don Ed Hardy Brands – Purses, Sunglasses, Shoes and Clothing

In 2002 Ed Hardy was approached by Ku USA, Inc. to produce a line of Ed Hardy clothing, Ed Hardy sunglasses, Ed Hardy shoes Ed Hardy handbags and Ed Hardy purses based on Ed Hardy’s art. Ed Hardy appreciated the Asian sensibilities of the Ku collection and a license agreement was signed. Within two years, the collection had drawn the interest of large clothing companies. A decision was made by Ed Hardy and Ku USA to form Ed Hardy Life LLC, which holds the trademark ownership as well as the copyrights. The company produces Ed Hardy clothing, Ed Hardy sunglasses, Ed Hardy shoes, Ed Hardy purses and Ed Hardy handbags.

In 2004 Christian Audigier, and his two partners Mike Callahan and Josh Seda licensed the rights to produce the Ed Hardy clothing line, which is based on Ed Hardy’s imagery. Prior to the Ed Hardy clothing line, Audigier was the Head Designer at Von Dutch Originals, which marketed the imagery of legendary Kustom Kulture artist Von Dutch. Audigier has attempted to replicate the marketing techniques employed by Von Dutch Originals, by marketing directly to celebrity clients and by opening stores in high profile fashion districts. There are currently at least ten Ed Hardy stores, located in Dubai, Los Angeles, Tucson, New York, Tokyo, Singapore, Noosa on The Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, Sydney and Gold Coast which opened slightly earlier than expected in late 2007. There is also a shop that will open in Johannesburg in 2008.

Dolce & Gabbana Handbag Company is a high-end fashion house started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce, born near Palermo, Sicily, and Stefano Gabbana, born in Milan, Italy. Dolce & Gabbana are very popular for their designs in the Hollywood industry; they have designed clothes for Madonna, Gisele Bündchen, Monica Bellucci, Ayumi Hamasaki, Isabella Rossellini and Kylie Minogue amongst others. The company is based near Milan (Legnano). The private life of Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce became public in 2005, when they officially announced their separation. The business has remained unchanged and both continue to design together. Dolce and Gabana’s most popular designs include Dolce and Gabbana handbags, Dolce and Gabbana purses, Dolce and Gabbana bags, Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, Dolce and Gabbana watches

Dolce and Gabbana Clothing and accessories product lines

Dolce & Gabanna is organized into two central lines for adults: D&G and Dolce&Gabbana. Dolce&Gabbana specializes on more expensive luxury items like Dolce and Gabana bags and Dolce and Gabana sunglasses, is influenced more by designers and is more formal and ‘timeless’, responding to long-term trends rather than seasonal changes. D&G is a more casual line that follows an urban inspiration and attempts to set trends rather than follow them. Both lines offer beachwear, underwear, corrective eyewear, sunglasses and fragrances; the D&G line also carries jewelry and timepieces. In 2005 and 2006, D&G and Motorola released a limited line of 1,000RAZR V3i phones, distributed by D&G boutiques and major Motorola retailers.

Dolce & Gabana also produces D&G Junior, a separate line aimed at children under the age of 11. Similar to the D&G adult line, D&G Junior follows seasonal trends for boys and girls across a range of ages. D&G Junior is more visibly influenced by popular culture compared to D&G, such as the Ibiza line of D&G Junior. Dolce and Gabbana produces products for all ages including Dolce and Gabbana handbags, Dolce and Gabbana bags, Dolce and Gabbana fragrances, Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, Dolce and Gabbana watches, and more!

Dolce’s advertising Controversy

Dolce & Gabbana was publicly criticized by Britain’s advertising watchdog Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in January 2007, for an advertising campaign showing models brandishing knives.

Following complaints from consumers’ groups in February 2007, Dolce & Gabbana pulled an advertisement in Madrid, Spain and Paris, France that showed a man holding a woman to the ground by her neck while a group of men look on. Spain’s Labour and Social Affairs Ministry branded the campaign as illegal and humiliating to women, saying the woman’s body position had no relation to the products Dolce & Gabbana were trying to sell. Italian publications followed suit, banning the ad.[4]

Dolce & Gabbana boutiques – U.S. stores

There are seven freestanding Dolce & Gabbana boutiques in the United States in New York City, Beverly Hills, Americana Manhasset on Long Island, Bal Harbour Shops in Miami, Las Vegas and The Mall at Short Hills in Short Hills, New Jersey. The company plans on expanding to Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco in the near future. Dolce & Gabbana also has numerous in-store kiosks across the US at high end department stores such as Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, and Canada Mississauga. All stores offer Dolce and Gabbana handbags, Dolce and Gabbana purses, Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses and Dolce and Gabbana frangrances.