Style Edit: Why Louis Vuitton’s Monogram is one of luxury’s most famous motifs
Designed to defeat counterfeiters 130 years ago, the motif has become one of the most recognisable in all of fashion, seen on everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Zendaya
More than a master of his craft, Vuitton was an innovative thinker who caught on to the fact that travellers faced one persistent inconvenience – their dome-topped trunks. Besides wasting space, the design meant that trunks could roll around endlessly if they toppled over. In 1858, Vuitton introduced a flat-topped trunk made from lightweight, durable grey Trianon canvas. It looked great and packed neatly. Demand soared – but imitations soon followed.
To combat fakes, Vuitton’s son Georges introduced the Monogram pattern in 1896, combining interlaced LV initials with stylised flowers and quatrefoils inspired by neo-Gothic ornamentation, Japonisme and the emerging art nouveau movement of the time. The motif immortalised his father, who died in 1892, and, once it became a registered patent, functioned as a clever brand protection strategy.
Through the early 20th century, towers of Monogram trunks at railway stations and on board ocean liners became shorthands for wealth and wanderlust. In 1959, the house introduced the supple Monogram canvas, which has gone on to inspire modern-day classics like the Speedy and Keepall.
