Louis Vuitton has teamed up with Assouline for a new book about the maison’s founder

Louis Vuitton is a brand synonymous with travelling in style, but a new book released by the house aims to go further than monogrammed suitcases and instantly recognisable luggage tags, exploring the man behind the iconic print, and his own travels within France and further afield. From Louis to Vuitton, produced in collaboration with renowned art and design publishing house Assouline, will trace the story of Louis Vuitton himself, who founded the eponymous house in 1854 — in a nod to that year, the book will contain fifty-four thoughtfully selected themes, which can be read in any order.

Louis Vuitton (the man, not the label) was born in Anchay, an ancient French village set on several lakes on the Swiss border, but he left for Paris aged only fourteen. Later, he would swap urban industrialisation for life on the water yet again, establishing his fashion house’s famous workshop, which is still used today, in the riverside suburb of Asnieres. His son Georges would be the first to take the label outside France, travelling by boat to the Chicago World Fair in 1893.

Travel has been embedded in LV’s identity from the beginning, with the brand’s first ever line of products including canvas trunks deemed highly innovative at the time. From Louis to Vuitton will celebrate this legacy of travel through sections devoted to travel by land, air and sea, as well as documenting the life of the house’s founder. The book’s very design will even pay homage to the checkerboard print synonymous with LV luggage then and now.

The content of the book goes beyond the maison’s fashion and travel roots, however. Amongst the three hundred images in the book, it will also cover the French fashion house’s historic partnerships with the likes of international sporting competitions, such as the America’s Cup and Formula One, in addition to the brand’s commitment to fighting climate change.

From Louis to Vuitton is now available in Louis Vuitton and Assouline stores worldwide, as well as online.