Visit the Source | A rare glimpse into the workshop of Louis Vuitton
In 1859, the pioneer of luxury Louis Vuitton moved his family in the center of Paris in the suburb of Asnières. Designed by the son of George Vuitton, the headquarters in an Art Nouveau spectacle, filled with floral motifs, a ceramic fireplace and beautiful stained glass windows. Opposite the lawn is the workshop, in continuous operation for more than a century and a half, where the famous tribes rigid society, beautiful bags and special orders are manufactured by skilled craftsmen. Inspired by the style of Gustave Eiffel, it has articulated an airy architecture of steel beams, and even if it was completely renovated and enlarged in 2005, it retains its original facade and configuration.
Opening This Weekend Louis Vuitton and other brands in the LVMH family their private studios in France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland for the second edition of "The Special Days", a rare opportunity for the public to see how beautiful those goods in the Louis Vuitton Store is a thousand guests who visit the facilities and the process firsthand For everyone else, take a virtual tour .. receive:
On the ground floor of the workshop, artisans and select the first material. Here carpenters create the skeletons of this iconic LV trunks with soft wood from France and Africa to resist the combination of the baggage variable weather conditions. Nearby, less exotic leathers are stored - lamb and goat trim, calfskin and cowhide for outdoor use - all at a constant temperature (between 16 and 19 degrees C). The material of the signing of the house is natural cowhide skin-colored, the basis of all the monogram bags. So thick that you can not it is stingray, python skin, as long as eight meters - the most exotic leathers require specific expertise. All exotic colored skin and gives a matt or gloss, then cut with printing machines, except for special orders that still hand-cut finish.
Upstairs, the craftsmen assemble and perfect piece. Seeing a liner bag is unfinished, someone like him in his underwear: she appears naked, vulnerable. Nearby are the wooden frames for the strains with canvas and leather. According to the rules, how to put materials is a skill in itself, the logo must always be centered monogram should never be cut, the flowers have to match exactly one edge to the other. Then the Louis Vuitton signature "cylinder lock" is introduced. Since the founding of the company each tribe has assigned a unique brand of lock. He holds the secret that when the hull was done, by whom and where it was purchased.
Another floor up, a staff devoted exclusively to the exotic skins to refine. It is quieter and quieter here, as practiced workers focus intensely on making harmony between sensitive and very expensive, which is an accessory. Undoubtedly experienced craftsmen are throughout the building key to the whole operation. So it is normal that they wear beige lab coat or wear aprons with pockets, they began their name and the year under the name of the company - a nod to its own contribution The legacy of this one-of-a-kind home.