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:

New Age Diamonds, a Russian company specializing in the production of gem-quality synthetic diamonds, has entered the Japanese market with a new product called the “Heart-In Baby Diamond” — a synthetic diamond made from the hair of newborn babies.

The Heart-In Baby Diamond is the latest addition to the company’s “Your Personal Diamond” (YPD) line of commemorative diamonds, which are custom-made from the hair or fur of your favorite person or pet, living or departed.

Heart-In Baby Diamond prices range from 403,000 yen (US$3,500) for a 0.2-carat canary yellow diamond to 1,934,000 yen (US$17,000) for a 0.8-carat chameleon red diamond.

As Japan’s population begins to shrink, newborn babies become all the more precious and each birth is a greater cause for celebration. In addition, fewer mouths to feed results in increased amounts of disposable household wealth. New Age Diamonds appears to be capitalizing on these two factors by offering proud new parents an innovative and luxurious way to bestow gratitude on their blessed offspring.