Louis Vuitton Bespoke Luggage

For an exclusive group of travelers the only Louis Vuitton case or trunk carried is a special-order item.

Published in: April 2009

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The golden rule is: all LV trunks are for real. They are world heritage luggage; handmade trophies for star travellers – the kind of high fliers who are on the road from 100 to 200 days a year. Hence, the no mercy approach to Britney Spears when her production team showed a pink-upholstered Louis Vuitton-style car interior in a music video. Louis Vuitton’s lawyers went into overdrive. The video Do Somethin’ was banned. Perhaps it now lies at the bottom of a trunk somewhere.

Patrick-Louis Vuitton later guides me through the Louis Vuitton museum where you can see the legendary bed trunk circa 1898, Sharon Stone’s vanity case and some concept projects such as a BMW motorbike with Louis Vuitton accessories. The Louis Vuitton leather handlebars are fabulous. “I have three keywords for the work I do – quality, tradition, innovation,” says the house scion. “Louis Vuitton’s special made-to-order service is a perfect example of our savoir faire and pioneering spirit.”

The glass-canopied atelier at Asnieres first opened 150 years ago. Refurbished in 2005, it now employs more than 200 people whose learning process is life-long. Apprenticeships last throughout a career as each stage is gradually mastered. Photographs on the wall reveal previous assignments: a mini special-order trunk to transport a mahjong set, a Brideshead-style teddy bear and a rubber duck called Willy. The workshop will even make the ultimate fashion item for roving mums – a Louis Vuitton trunk for a baby’s bottle.

“Anyone in Hong Kong who wants a special-order trunk or item of luggage only needs to go to the Louis Vuitton store and make their request,” reassures Patrick- Louis. “If the order is complex, I will come and see them or they can come and see me here in Asnieres at the home of Louis Vuitton, and we can sit down together and draw it up.”

Count on eight to 12 weeks from order to delivery. The Chinese client with the taste for coffee returned to pick up his order and purred like a cat when he saw it. The trick to heating the water for his preferred brew? A can of petrol. The old solutions – as Louis Vuitton craftsmen and women will tell you – are best.