In 1837 a sixteen-year-old Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris and became an apprentice for Monsieur Maréchal, a trunk maker and a packer. “At the time, horse-drawn carriages, boats and trains were the main modes of transportation, and baggage was handled roughly. Travelers called upon craftsmen to pack and protect their individual objects.”
Vuitton worked at Monsieur Maréchal’s atelier for 17 years before opening his own workshop. He became a great success which led to his expansion in 1859, when he opened another atelier in the center of Paris, Asnières. Since 1859 Louis Vuitton has become an iconic world-renowned brand that has designed bags for the likes of Napoleon III, Gabrielle Coco Chanel, and Audrey Hepburn.
