Louis Vuitton and Arthur Dreyfus replace A-Z with L-V in their upcoming style dictionary – a book to take you on a historic tour through the extensive history of the iconic house.
From November this year, Louis Vuitton’s new contribution to fashion’s literary tomes – ‘From Louis to Vuitton’ will hit the shelves across the world.
Combining the publishing craftsmanship of Assouline with words and curation from writer and filmmaker Arthur Dreyfus, the book is bound for success, taking its readers through the rich history of the iconic house in a sort of style dictionary.
The book starts at the very beginning, when a fourteen year old Louis Vuitton left his small French village of Anchay for Paris in 1837. From Louis to Vuitton takes you through nearly 2 centuries of achievement in 406 pages, illustrating how the brand went from a quality luggage maker in the Asnières family-run workshop to a global fashion sensation.
In a comprehensive exploration of the brand’s legacy, the text takes you through the years, using 54 different keywords, a play on the founding of the house in 1854, to explore themes across eras, countries, celebrated moments and iconic creations.
Each of the keywords are used as a benchmark to denote various touchpoints in Louis Vuitton’s history, for instance, using ‘Kabuki’ to represent Louis Vuitton’s ventures in Japan and ‘Dandy’ to symbolise Pharell Williams’ new era at the house.
Through these words, From Louis to Vuitton will provide an in-depth tour of every facet of Louis Vuitton’s expansive enterprise, exploring the history, house codes and contributions from each of the Artistic Directors.
It will also offer an examination of all the house crafts – from men and women’s fashion; accessories, jewelry and timepieces to fragrance, leather goods and the landmark architecture of their worldwide stores – no stone is left unturned.
The book aims to be an addition to Louis Vuitton’s repertoire of artistic creations, with the design emulating that of the classic Louis Vuitton trunk – referencing the the checkerboard or ‘damier’ pattern invented by Vuitton in 1888, the saddle stitch as a callback to their leather-adorned history and the ‘unpickable’ lock design that is a staple of their trunk designs.
From design to content, the book is a faithful addition to the Louis Vuitton universe, staying true to its classic aesthetic as well as its flare for travel, tradition and innovation in a way that would have any Louis Vuitton collector making space on their shelf or coffee table with haste – after all, what better way to encapsulate a flare for adventure than a exploration through time?
And if that’s not enough, Louis Vuitton will be releasing a limited edition book trunk in celebration of the book’s release, which will be the latest in a deep history of book related trunks previously released by the brand, such as the Hemingway trunk and the trunk for the Encyclopedia Britannica.
‘From Louis to Vuitton,’ will be out in November in Louis Vuitton stores worldwide and Assouline bookstores, also online at LouisVuitton.com and assouline.com. Homepage image Louis Vuitton 2017 resort show at Oscar Niemeyer-designed Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Inside above image left Louis Vuitton Chrysler building bag, photograph by Masato Onoda, and right, photograph by Steve Harries, collection Louis Vuitton 2015 © “Louis Vuitton Jeune” painting by Yan Pei-Ming. Middle left image, Craftsmen in the framing workshop in Asnieres-sur-Seine, circa 1903.Louis Vuitton Archivesright image, female traveler, photograph by Therese Bonney, 1927,Louis Vuitton Archives. All imagery courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
