Like champagne, Bourdeaux wines, cheeses, and many other things that greatly improve this life, Louis Vuitton handbags began in France. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the emperor of France, Napoleon III, was looking for someone to manage the bags of Empress Eugene.



The man the emperor found was Louis Vuitton, a professional luggage handler who packed luggage for upper class families. Vuitton broke ground by inventing airtight and flat stackable luggage. From these beginnings, Vuitton constructed his business, establishing his first design offices in 1854.

At the World's Fairs in 1867 and 1889, Louis Vuitton won first a bronze and then a gold medal in recognition of the excellence of his bags. But it wasn't until 1892 that the first of his handbags hit the market. Soon after the company's luggage line grew larger and larger. Since the very beginning, and right up to today, these designer hand bags have been respected and known as synonymous with high end quality and craft.

Fast forward to today's world, and Louis Vuitton handbags have become markers of class and luxury. This contributes to making Louis Vuitton brand bags the industry leader. In fact, the bags are so coveted that fertile counterfeiters flood the market with fakes, so that less than 1% of the bags bought and sold are genuine Louis Vuitton made.

In an effort to counter the efforts of bootleg handbags, Vuitton's son Georges introduced the LV Monogram Canvas in 1896, which was an industry first. The canvas is the designer's label branded onto the product at the factory. Only genuine Louis Vuitton luggage has the LV Monogram Canvas. Imitators may try to copy it, but the trained eye will know the difference!

Starting in 1888, the designer's bags were available in the Damier Canvas. Both Louis and Georges worked on the design, which bears marque L. Vuitton deposee, the French way of saying trademark L. Vuitton. Following this, Georges released the Monogram Canvas whose symbols and graphics were influenced by the Late Victorian influence in Asian art.

In 1901, The Steamer Bag, a small handbag to go with larger LV luggage and trunks, was introduced. 1930 saw the introduction of the elegant and timeless Louis Vuitton handbag Keepall, which first was a fashion sensation and then an icon. Along with its smaller successor, the Speedy, the Keepall's leather is tooled with the trademark LV design throughout, and the hallmark suave curves and handles suggest simplicity and practicality while maintaining the aura of luxury.

Originally a carrying case for five bottles of champagne, the Louis Vuitton Noe bag became a phenomenon when upper class women took notice and transformed it into a must have handbag. Renowned designers Stephen Sprouse and Marc Jacobs unveiled a limited edition graffiti LV monogram in 2001, which was available to only a list of the designer's choosing.

Jacobs followed the graffiti monogram up in 2003 while working with Takashi Murakami to create a new canvas featuring thirty three colors, the Monogram Multicolore. And most recently Takashi Murakami fashioned the Cherry Blossom pattern, in 2004, and new Monogram Cerises pattern, in 2005, both of which were inspired by Japanese animation.