Even though Louis Vuitton is owned by the French conglomerate LVMH, there's still a family feeling at the ancestral home and workshops where trunks and handbags are made in a village outside of Paris. Come along for a special tour.
Vuitton constructed the modern-looking atelier with steel beams, hardwood floors and windows that allow in natural light in the tradition of Gustave Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel tower. The atelier was renovated and expanded in 2005 but retains its original facade and configuration. Much of the work on the luggage continues to be done by hand. Here, a worker taps small nails into a trunk (as many as 1,000 can be used on a large trunk to keep the trim in place). The trunks are made of wood that has been aged a dozen years and covered with canvas or leather. Workers painstakingly glue lining in the interior and hinges made from layers of stitched cotton canvas. Toward the end of the process, they add saddle-stitched handles and brass edges.
Photo by © Michelle Watson CatchLightGroup.com
Vuitton constructed the modern-looking atelier with steel beams, hardwood floors and windows that allow in natural light in the tradition of Gustave Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel tower. The atelier was renovated and expanded in 2005 but retains its original facade and configuration. Much of the work on the luggage continues to be done by hand. Here, a worker taps small nails into a trunk (as many as 1,000 can be used on a large trunk to keep the trim in place). The trunks are made of wood that has been aged a dozen years and covered with canvas or leather. Workers painstakingly glue lining in the interior and hinges made from layers of stitched cotton canvas. Toward the end of the process, they add saddle-stitched handles and brass edges.
