What Makes Louis Vuitton So Expensive? — I Knock Fashion
Louis Vuitton, the French fashion house, is always in the fashion industry news and perpetually in everyone’s mind and dreams for the artistic luxury bags. It is one of the most constant luxury brands in the fashion industry news and valuable luxury brand for more than a decade now. There is no denying that for all the fashion fanatics out there, Rachel from F.R.I.E.N.D.S is the ultimate career hero. All the fashion enthusiasts would agree that they went insane when in one of the episodes, Rachel is offered a well-paid job in Paris with Louis Vuitton. It is nothing but a dream for all the fashion enthusiasts to get a job in the French fashion house and set some fashion trends in the industry. Undoubtedly, it is a part of the ‘Big Three’ rule designer bag land, which includes Chanel and Hermes.
There is no denying that Louis Vuitton bag is an investment for life, but it’s limited edition handbags can cost almost 41 lakhs in Indian rupees, which brings us to question of the ages about Louis Vuitton, how does the French fashion house get away with charging so much?
The Beginning Of Louis Vuitton!
It all began in the year 1837 when the 16-year-old Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris on foot. France was in the middle of an economic expansion, and that growth was drawing a few hundred thousand people to the city of Paris. It was the same reason that Louis Vuitton traveled miles (Anchay to Paris) by foot to the French capital to work as a trunk maker’s apprentice.
Louis Vuitton soon started apprenticing for Monsieur Maréchal. Meanwhile, steam-powered trains and ships were making travel more accessible, and the travel industry was booming. But undoubtedly at that time, horse-drawn carriages, boats, and trains were the main modes of transportation, and objects were handled roughly. All this led to a new concept, travelers soon called upon craftsmen to pack and protect their objects and luggage.
Within no time, Louis Vuitton became a valued craftsman at the Parisian atelier of Monsieur Maréchal. He capitalized on the fashion industry news when he opened his first store in the year 1854. A few years later, in 1858, he debuted his new trunk design that set major fashion trends. The new trunk design was unique it was rectangular, unlike its dome-shaped predecessors, making it easy to stack. The fabric was a cotton canvas that made it lightweight, durable, and waterproof, apt for travel.
Monogram & More!
After Louis Vuitton’s incredible design journey, in 1886 his son Georges Vuitton revolutionized luggage locks with an intelligent closing system that turned travel trunks into real treasure chests setting major fashion trends. In the same year, Georges Vuitton created the iconic Louis Vuitton monogram — a floral pattern with an interlocking L and V — in memory and honor of his late father Louis Vuitton, who passed away in 1892.
The French fashion house became a popular luxury brand, from French royalty in the 1800s to today’s celebrities, owning Louis Vuitton has a long history of being seen as a status symbol. If you have a little knowledge or interest in fashion, you must be aware that today you can find the famous French fashion house monogram on everything — handbags, clothing, shoes, jewelry, even a toilet. Today it is named the World’s Most Valuable Luxury Brand, by BrandZ.
Coming to the question, why is Louis Vuitton bag so costly, undoubtedly these handbags are classic, sleek, and aces fashion trends. But does that make them worth the price?
Where Are Louis Vuitton Bags Made?
The main reason behind Louis Vuitton’s products being so expensive is the high manufacturing cost. The peculiarity of the French fashion house is in declaring that their products can be created only in Western Europe because Western European artisans are the only people who understand what actual quality is.
Although the French fashion house also owns some factories in Spain and Southern California. The authentic Louis Vuitton leather bag collections are created in workshops located in France, Italy, Spain, United States, and Germany. Despite numerous innovations in fashion technology, the luxury brand says the most advanced machinery they utilize is the sewing machine.
How Are Louis Vuitton Bags Created?
As stated by the luxury brand that the most advanced technology they utilize is the sewing machine. It is quite evident that producing a Louis Vuitton bag is not easy. It is the reason until 2005 it took about eight days and 20–30 craftsmen to create a single luxury bag. The procedure was nothing but a synonym of quality, but it was not efficient to the growing demand. So after 2005, the luxury brand changed its strategy to produce products faster while maintaining its high quality at the same time. But, there is no denying that even the highest quality goods can lose value if there are numerous of them in the fashion market.
What Is The Marketing Strategy Of Louis Vuitton?
Over the years, Louis Vuitton found an apt amalgamation of automation and the hand-made process leading to a better balance between quality and speed. As stated earlier, even the highest quality products can degrade their value if there are numerous of them on the market. That is why the French fashion house suspends the production of a product once it hits its sales target.
See Also
Somewhere or the other, all of us wait for the sales, we have spotted how- when brands produce too much of a product, they offload the extras by conducting sales or selling them at discount shopping outlets. But have you ever heard of a Louis Vuitton sale? The French fashion house has managed to avoid both of those things, sales, and selling products at discount shopping outlets. Louis Vuitton takes pride in claiming to be the only brand in the world that never holds sales.
Although the luxury brand had its beginnings in France, over the years it has developed marketing strategies to attract a large market base in other countries. People often question if the authentic Louis Vuitton handbags are produced in China, the fact is real LV bags are not made there. But Louis Vuitton marketing strategies have been effective in China.
Louis Vuitton became the first foreign luxury brand to open a physical store in China in 1992, the lesser-known fact here is, in China, products from luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton are 20% more expensive than the global average.
Louis Vuitton & Counterfeits!
Although no sales and selling products at discount shopping outlets help the fashion house maintain its worth, it also makes it a major target for counterfeits. The luxury brand- Louis Vuitton is the most counterfeited luxury brand in the world. The fashion industry experts state that there are numerous counterfeits because the luxury brand’s classic style has perpetually been similar for the last hundred years. This perpetual style has given those on the black market, time to create near-perfect imitations.
The Celebrity Connection!
Another reason that makes the French fashion house enormously popular is the fact that some of the biggest celebrities in the world carry their products, and it makes the brand even more appealing in the eyes of consumers. The brand is hundred years old and still focuses on finding ways to target the younger consumers. It is the reason behind bringing onboard influencers like Sophie Turner, Kris Wu and others. The luxury brand wanted to dominate on the fashion industry hence, in 2018, it announced the streetwear designer, Virgil Abloh, as its creative director for menswear.
I Knock Fashion Desk (Conclusion)
The celebrities are perpetually in the fashion industry news, as they are spotted adorning luxury brand Louis Vuitton not only in traditional advertisements but also in pictures of themselves on their Instagram accounts. After announcing streetwear designer, Virgil Abloh, as its creative director for menswear, the luxury brand borrowed a distribution strategy from the latest streetwear culture. They came up with the drop model and released a limited number of items over a short period. The pop-up space in London launched Virgil Abloh’s debut collection as Artistic Director. All these above-mentioned strategies and the exclusivity of prices maintained Louis Vuitton’s value over the years. What do you think, will you ever plan to buy a Louis Vuitton bag? Do you find it worth the price? Do let us know in the comment section and stay tuned with I Knock Fashion for further fashion and beauty related updates.
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Originally published at https://www.iknockfashion.com on July 29, 2020.
