1896-1996 Louis Vuitton Centennial

In 1996 Louis Vuitton celebrated the centenary of the Monogram Canvas. The design was created by Vuitton's son Georges and is considered to be the very first designer label of our times. He did this to prevent counterfeiting. Ironically, only 1% of the world's items with the LV logo are actually from the company itself. LV has become the most copied designer label in fashion history. To mark this momentous occasion, Louis Vuitton Paris decided to invite several of the big names in the fashion industry to present their interpretation of the company's 100 year history. They were: Sybilla, Vivienne Westwood, Helmut Lang, Manolo Blahnik, Romeo Gigli, Azzdine Alaia and Isaac Mizrahi. The company also decided to resurrect its Damier canvas that year with a new line of products. The damier of today usually has dark or ebony leather trim but for the centennial year, they were outfitted with pure, natural vachetta which creates a lovely contrast to its somber browns. I'll end my spiel with a picture of my latest acquisition from that limited collection: Soho Backpack with Damier Canvas and centenary numbered vachetta trim. (June 27, Let-trade.com, Hong Kong)

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