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Louis Vuitton: The Birth of Modern Luxury
The Original Edition 2005: Louis Vuitton The Birth of Modern Luxury (English) Printed and Bound in France. A must have for any Louis Vuitton collector! The first in-depth portrait of one of the world's best-known luxury brands, this elegant volume traces the remarkable history of the House of Vuitton, which has been making practical but stylish luggage, handbags, and accessories for more than 150 years. Written with full access to the company's archives, the book itself demonstrates Louis Vuitton's passion for fine design in a stunning array of archival art, historical images, product designs and sketches, and cutting-edge advertising. Author Paul-Gerard Pasols, former communications director and longtime consultant to Louis Vuitton, explores the company's tradition of quality and innovation in the context of sweeping changes in society, art, culture, fashion, and, above all, travel. Examining the life and times of the company's first three leaders-founder Louis (who invented the modern trunk), his son Georges, and his grandson Gaston-the text focuses on the firm's development under their guidance. It also discusses Vuitton's explosive growth toward the end of the 20th century, including the 1987 merger with Moët-Hennessy that made it part of LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods company, and spurred the expansion of its boutiques to more than 300 locations in 50 countries around the globe.
540 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2005
10 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Paul-Gerard Pasols
9 books1 followerPaul-Gerard Pasols is the former director of communications for Louis Vuitton and a longtime consultant to the company. He was editorial director of "Louis Vuitton City Guide 2004-New York", a finalist in the "best guide" category of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 29, 2019
When Louis Vuitton: The Birth of Modern Luxury was published, the book was the first to describe the rise of the world’s luxury company. It demonstrates Louis Vuitton’s passion for fine design with a array of archival art, product designs, and cutting edge advertising. The company is examined through the lives of its first three leaders, founder Louis (who invented the modern trunk), his son Georges, and his grandson Gaston. If you are a fan of Louis Vuitton products, this is the book for you. AWESOME!!
September 3, 2020
A coffee table book that you will actually want to read. Loaded with history and beautiful photos.
July 10, 2021
One of my favorite coffee table books and one you will want to read.
September 30, 2024
This book is a beautiful representation of LV & I’m excited to dive deeper into it to really understand the ins and outs of his empire.
January 12, 2025
It is what it says it is, an in debth look into all about Louis Vuitton!
January 27, 2026
It’s a beautiful picture book about the start of Louis Vuitton to almost current.
April 21, 2025
*French version review. Damn my inability to read French! I dont know why our library would have ordered this book in French when it is also published in English! At least the pictures were gorgeous and I could kind of follow along with some of the storyline that way. Some day I will have to track down the English version of the book so that I can actually read about the history and development of one of the world's foremost luxury brands.
*English version review. Back in 2013 I “read” the original French edition of this book, but not actually being able to read French precluded me from actually giving it a proper review. The images and graphic design are, of course, gorgeous - as one would expect coming from Maison Vuitton, who have long been involved in publishing fine literary editions as well as their more traditional occupation as trunk makers - but without the textual narrative I was missing out on the entire point of this weighty tome. Being the first real exposé on the brand, the book brooks no holds as it chronicles the rise of the Vuitton family from humble (though continually enterprising) trunk makers to one of Paris’ most influential design houses. Written in an engaging narrative style, the early chapters which focus on the stories of the family’s earliest characters tell an enchanting tale of Louis, George, and Gaston-Louis that is equal parts embellished family genealogy (read: legend) and historical exploration (the expansion and development of Paris being a key motif throughout) that completely swept me away. There is little more romantic than the tale of a humble country boy coming to the City of Light and working his way into a creative success that involves Empress Eugenie, international royalty, and the explorers of the era - and paired with the artistry that the Louis Vuitton trunks and baggage would come to embody, their story could easily make a lovely (yet realistic) fictionalized historical novel. As we move away from the focus on the brand’s early innovators, the narrative weakens somewhat, repeating key themes and details in an attempt to keep the more subject-based chapters grounded but losing out on the same personalized tone that defined and held interest in the early chapters. On its own, each chapter is well done, though, if one needs to focus up on the redefining, world expansion, and technical artistry of Louis Vuitton - divorcing the subjects somewhat from the individuals who made these things possible and focusing instead on the company as a “brand.” Once we pass through this rocky landscape (I’ll admit to skimming a few sections for lack of interest), the book regains its sparkle as we get into more modern and familiar territory with chapters detailing Louis Vuitton’s adventures in fashion, advertising, architecture, and culture. These sections could easily fill entire books of their own (please, please, someone give me a book detailing every LV fashion show and collection alongside the gorgeous books that explore the many trunks/bags and architecture), but the brief glimpses contained herein are artful compilations that tease us with just enough content to whet the appetite and encourage further exploration of the absolutely expansive (but still refined) reach of the LV brand. There is so much to love about this tome (even if its sheer size and weight is a bit of a problem for actual reading, lol), that I am incredibly happy to have been able to finally explore it properly and discover the incredible history of Maison Louis Vuitton!
*English version review. Back in 2013 I “read” the original French edition of this book, but not actually being able to read French precluded me from actually giving it a proper review. The images and graphic design are, of course, gorgeous - as one would expect coming from Maison Vuitton, who have long been involved in publishing fine literary editions as well as their more traditional occupation as trunk makers - but without the textual narrative I was missing out on the entire point of this weighty tome. Being the first real exposé on the brand, the book brooks no holds as it chronicles the rise of the Vuitton family from humble (though continually enterprising) trunk makers to one of Paris’ most influential design houses. Written in an engaging narrative style, the early chapters which focus on the stories of the family’s earliest characters tell an enchanting tale of Louis, George, and Gaston-Louis that is equal parts embellished family genealogy (read: legend) and historical exploration (the expansion and development of Paris being a key motif throughout) that completely swept me away. There is little more romantic than the tale of a humble country boy coming to the City of Light and working his way into a creative success that involves Empress Eugenie, international royalty, and the explorers of the era - and paired with the artistry that the Louis Vuitton trunks and baggage would come to embody, their story could easily make a lovely (yet realistic) fictionalized historical novel. As we move away from the focus on the brand’s early innovators, the narrative weakens somewhat, repeating key themes and details in an attempt to keep the more subject-based chapters grounded but losing out on the same personalized tone that defined and held interest in the early chapters. On its own, each chapter is well done, though, if one needs to focus up on the redefining, world expansion, and technical artistry of Louis Vuitton - divorcing the subjects somewhat from the individuals who made these things possible and focusing instead on the company as a “brand.” Once we pass through this rocky landscape (I’ll admit to skimming a few sections for lack of interest), the book regains its sparkle as we get into more modern and familiar territory with chapters detailing Louis Vuitton’s adventures in fashion, advertising, architecture, and culture. These sections could easily fill entire books of their own (please, please, someone give me a book detailing every LV fashion show and collection alongside the gorgeous books that explore the many trunks/bags and architecture), but the brief glimpses contained herein are artful compilations that tease us with just enough content to whet the appetite and encourage further exploration of the absolutely expansive (but still refined) reach of the LV brand. There is so much to love about this tome (even if its sheer size and weight is a bit of a problem for actual reading, lol), that I am incredibly happy to have been able to finally explore it properly and discover the incredible history of Maison Louis Vuitton!
August 16, 2012
Awesome introduction to the Maison Vuitton.
October 21, 2019
Amazing and fascinating how such an iconic brand gets it start and evolves into what it is today! Impressive, to say the least!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews