You know there’s not just the Louis Vuitton Luggage to make your trip the stylish one ever! There’s also the latest edition of the Louis Vuitton City Guides!
For 10 years, the Louis Vuitton City Guides have been capturing the spirit of cities.
Now with the new 2009 edition, there are many new destinations and new sections with a vintage-inspired look inspired from the label’s iconic travelling trunks.
A new book out by author Dana Thomas, called Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Lustre, explores how the manufacture of luxury goods, and in particular luxury clothing, has been outsourced almost in its entirety to a handful of developing countries such as China and Turkey.
Dana Thomas knew it was time to investigate ‘luxury’ when her clothes started falling off. ‘In 2002, I bought a pair of cotton-poplin cropped trousers at Prada for $500. I put them on, and the gentle passing of my foot ripped the hem out. I put my hand in the pocket and it tore away from its seam. I squatted down to pick up my two-year-old and the derrière split open. I hadn’t had those trousers on 10 minutes and they were literally falling apart at the seams. I mentioned this to a former Prada design assistant. “It’s the thread,” he told me. “It’s cheaper and breaks easily.” Of course, not all Prada goods are shoddy . ..’
Thomas explains that despite the protestations of certain luxury house owners, the competitive landscape for luxury goods companies is one which makes this phenomenon hard to resist.
For the last sixty years, the actual production of luxury goods themselves has become much like any other type of product. The big difference is the way in which these luxury goods have been marketed to make you feel a particular way.
How? By creating a desire so powerful that, as Tom Ford, the designer and marketing genius behind Gucci, puts it, “It’s like you’ve gotta have it or you’ll die.”
As Thomas notes in her book, the lion’s share of a product is made in China but then a small piece (a piece of stitching or pocket, for instance) is added in the West so that the ubiquitous ‘Made in China’ label can be avoided and the luxury illusion can be maintained…
The book isn’t especially well written or well edited but Dana has a wicked sense of humor and pulls no punches in describing the decadent denizens of the “Deluxe” world.
Even if you know nothing about fashion, this book will fascinate, educate and entertain. The section on Louis Vuitton is eye-opening. The chapter on the making of a Hermes bag is priceless. Also, in the last few pages of the book, Thomas describes what the truly rich now buy, which is basically what you can see everyday on Luxuo :)
DELUXE: How Luxury Lost Its Lustre by Dana Thomas
Allen Lane £20/$40 pp376
Internationally renowned and highly regarded for name recognition in the fashion world, as a result LV has become one of the most counterfeited contemporary luxury brands. In fact, according to LV, just over 1% of the items bearing the trademark LV monogram would be authentic (Wikipedia) !!!
Ironically, the signature Monogram Canvas was created to prevent counterfeiting. In 2004, Louis Vuitton fakes accounted for 18% of counterfeit accessories seized in the European Union.
LV takes a serious view of all counterfeiting, employing a team of lawyers and special investigation agencies, actively pursuing offenders through the courts worldwide, and allocating about half of its budget of communications to counteract piracy of its goods.
Interestingly, the logo also makes its way to goods that would never, ever be associated with the Louis Vuitton brand. The ‘Design You Trust’ blogs collected several great examples; Here are a few of our favorites:
Dunhill, the English leather goods maker, have collaborated with Bentley to create a 5-piece set of luggage, designed specifically for Bentley cars. (Dunhill already make a luggage set for Maybach)
The Bentley Collection by Dunhill is to fit perfectly into the trunk of any Bentley : The luggage set is made of the finest leather and is reminiscent of fluted designs of Bentley seats and can be ordered in any color to match the interior of a Bentley.
The entire set consists of a briefcase, large and small suitcases, a washbag, and a weekend bag. You can expect to pay about $8600, before options.
Animal lovers, close your eyes : Hermes has released a $150,000 Crocodile peacoat !
That eternally classic item of military-inspired menswear, the peacoat, has been interpreted in myriad different ways and fabrics over the years since it was first adopted by European navies some 250 years ago.
Mens designer Veronique Nichanian released this elite item at the famed fashion house’s Fall / Winter 2008-09 collection show. The luxurious jacket is made entirely from top-grade crocodile skin.
There are currently two navy blue coats at the flagship store on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Other coats may be special ordered for a finished product that will arrive in 3-4 months.
Russian pop sensation duo T.A.T.U. has been summoned by Marc Jacobs to be the new faces of Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall 2008/Winter 2009 fashion ad campaign.
Do you remember these girls? They had the hit song, “Not Gonna Get Us,” back in 2002, which propagated their band’s lesbian image, but the girls – Moscow natives Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova – turned out to be straight.
The singers replace Victoria Beckham, who starred in Jacobs’ spring/summer collection.
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