Louis Vuitton is a well-known brand name worldwide thanks to its production and sale of high-end luxury products. The fashion house is one of the oldest and most popular high-end fashion trendsetters globally.
Their products are as expensive as they are rare. Even with the challenges of always fighting counterfeit goods in the market, the Louis Vuitton brand maintains its place at the apex of the fashion industry year after year.
So what makes Louis Vuitton products so expensive?
Many factors, such as the use of high-quality materials, the commissioning of precise craftsmanship, and having a deeply set heritage in the fashion world, all come together to contribute to the costly prices associated with Louis Vuitton products.
Despite the hefty price tags, Louis Vuitton products are indeed worth it. The fashion house gives each item hours of work and skill before releasing it to the market to ensure they give their customers value for money.
About The Louis Vuitton Brand
After turning 13 years, a young Louis Vuitton decided to make his way to Paris, the capital city of his home country France.
On arrival, he worked odd jobs to survive while slowly building up on his dream of becoming a fashion designer.
In 1854, he started his company which exclusively made traveling trunks for long-distance explorers. Louis Vuitton had observed that most traveling trunks were cylindrical or spherical.
This design flaw made them both bulky and hard to store for long distances because they could not stack up on each other.
Louis Vuitton thus came up with a flat-topped cubical Trianon trunk design that made stacking possible and luggage easier to carry. His original material of choice was canvas.
In 1876, Louis Vuitton changed his primary design to beige and brown stripes and continued to explore and make different traveling trunk types. By 1885, Louis Vuitton opened his first out-of-Paris store in London.
The expansion was a huge marker for the great success that the fashion designer had yet to experience.
His son, Georges Vuitton, was also active in Louis Vuitton’s business, and he, Georges, was the one that put Louis Vuitton on the global fashion platform when he showcased some of his father’s works at the Chicago International Fair in 1893.
After this, the Louis Vuitton brand name experienced such exponential growth that the company now started facing counterfeit threats.
Louis Vuitton decided to fight this challenge by acquiring the patent for his Damier Canvas design, which bore his LV logo.
The fashion house grew and expanded exponentially throughout the 20th century, opening stores across continents, including Europe, America, and Asia.
According to Statista, the Louis Vuitton brand is currently the most valuable luxury brand in the world, with an estimated value of over $15 billion.
Why is Louis Vuitton So Popular?
The Louis Vuitton brand has been in the fashion industry for close to 200 years now. With such a long streak of existence and relevance, the fashion house must be doing something right.
Louis Vuitton products are high quality and mostly unmatched, thanks to the incredible detail and skill that goes into manufacturing them.
Exclusivity, product superiority, and strong heritage also make Louis Vuitton a very popular luxury brand.
Most Expensive Louis Vuitton Items
Although Louis Vuitton started by making traveling trunks, the company progressively moved into manufacturing different products, including clothes, shoes, smaller bags, and, more recently, jewelry. Here is a list of the most expensive Louis Vuitton items in each category.
i. The Bling Empire Louis Vuitton Necklace
The Bling Empire is a Netflix Original Reality TV show showcasing the lives of the richest Asians in Los Angeles.
While displaying their up-scale everyday lifestyles, a member of the show’s cast, Christine Chiu, appeared at a get-together wearing a jewelry piece by Louis Vuitton.
Experts estimate the pink sapphire necklace to be worth a whopping $136,500. It has approximately 1000 diamonds, white gold, and 400 sapphires in its assemblage.
ii. The Yayoi Kusama Untitled Travel Trunk
Dated 2012, this canvas 71 x 111 x 62 cm trunk is personally designed by Yayoi Kusama, an artist that has worked with the Louis Vuitton fashion house for years.
The trunk carries the original and vintage look that older Louis Vuitton trunks had, including the brown canvas cover.
However, Yayoi Kusama used acrylic paint to customize the trunk’s exterior with multi-colored polka dots, the phrase “DEAR YVES,” and her dated signature.
She then gave it to Yves Carcelle on his departure from the LVMH group due to his long-standing fight with cancer. The trunk was later sold in 2020 for $270,0045, making it the most expensive Louis Vuitton trunk ever sold.
iii. The Urban Satchel
Going for a whopping $150,000, the Urban Satchel is one of the most luxurious bags in the fashion industry.
The most remarkable thing about it is that it was made from recycled materials, including water bottles, cigarette packs, old wallets, and other assortments of trash. Of course, Louis Vuitton incorporated pure leather as the base material.
The patchwork bag has raised a lot of controversy and attention, with some people completely loving the innovation and others finding it absurdly expensive.
Louis Vuitton used the Olsen Twins as their brand ambassadors for the bag, and it is rumored that the two ended up fighting over who would keep the bag sample afterward.
Louis Vuitton released only 24 copies of the Urban Satchel worldwide, and Beyonce is one of the lucky owners.
iv. The Louis Vuitton Monogram Mink Three Quarter Sleeves Jacket
For those that love fluffy, bulky, and posh jackets, you might be interested in this mink three-quarter sleeves piece by Louis Vuitton.
The jacket is unique, given that most designers either go for full sleeves or none. The three-quarter sleeve feature gives this elegant coat an edge to it.
Louis Vuitton used pure mink as the choice material, not only making the jacket soft but reasonably warm for the colder seasons.
The Monogram Mink jacket also has a raised and cushioned collar that works almost like a hood and is also an excellent point for neck support. This beautiful piece is exclusively made, and it costs $17,400.
v. The Louis Vuitton Manhattan Richelieu Wingtips
If elegance were a shoe, it would definitely be the Louis Vuitton alligator wingtips, otherwise known as the Manhattan Richelieu.
Louis Vuitton designers did not spare any skill or talent when coming up with this elegant and classic pair of shoes.
The men’s piece is handmade from original alligator skin, making it extremely sturdy and durable. It has distinct yet subtle stitching and decoration, making the shoe both great to look at and comfortable to wear.
The hand-painted soles give the Manhattan Wingtips a sophisticated look, which works for both official and casual settings. It is no wonder the pair is tagged at $10,000.
The Least Expensive Louis Vuitton Item
The Louis Vuitton Card-holder
Most Louis Vuitton items do not cost less than $300. So if you find anything originally LV below that mark, count yourself lucky. Most items below $300 are cosmetics, fragrances, and other small accessories. According to our research, the cheapest Louis Vuitton item is a cardholder that costs $55.
So, Why is Louis Vuitton Expensive?
1. High-Quality Products and Craftsmanship
Imagine all the items that Louis Vuitton has ever made. Now imagine that every last one of them was made by hand, no matter the size or complexity of its design.
Of course, the fashion house incorporated tools and machines, but ideally, the products must first be designed and crafted by hand. Louis Vuitton thus has to spend a lot of money finding and training the best designers and artisans.
In addition to the impeccable artisans, Louis Vuitton uses only the highest quality and expensive materials for its products.
All products must be assessed and tested for quality by experts before being released into the market. The product prices reflect the exquisite standards the fashion house sets and uphold.
2. Exclusivity
As a luxury brand, Louis Vuitton does not flood the market with its products. In fact, some items, such as the Urban Satchel, only exist in limited numbers.
Exclusivity allows Louis Vuitton to make and maintain a name as a brand that only the richest can afford.
Subsequently, the fashion house gets the leeway to sell their products at very high prices because their target market requires uniqueness and can indeed afford it.
3. Rich Brand Heritage
The story of Louis Vuitton venturing on his own as a teenager to start the company with barely anything and turn it into a multibillion-dollar empire is quite enticing.
Not only that, but the fact that the Louis Vuitton brand still stands strong almost 200 years later only shows that the fashion house is doing something right.
Owning a Louis Vuitton piece does not end at the price tag. It comes with both status and a piece of this heritage. You buy the product and the brand name and history.
4. Product Versatility
Louis Vuitton products are all very versatile and for all seasons. Look at the bags, for instance. You can carry them at casual events, use them for corporate settings, have them as a statement piece, or for everyday use.
Even though Louis Vuitton maintains the original vintage design formula in all their trunks and bags, it also ensures they remain current and trendy.
This delicate balance gives their products a sense of versatility and agelessness, making them more expensive than other mainstream products.
5. Celebrity and Iconic Collaborations
Louis Vuitton is known to collaborate with revered individuals in different industries, including art, film, sports, and music. It has worked with celebrities like Kanye West on projects where they designed branded sneakers for $1000 each.
It has also liaised with Pharell Williams, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez, and the Olsen Twins, among others.
Contracting the skills and talents of such individuals is no cheap fete. As a result, the fashion house sells its items at a high cost to pay these individuals and cover production costs.
Is Buying Louis Vuitton Worth It?
This question has raised a lot of arguments, given that some people find it absurd to spend thousands of dollars on items such as clothes and bags.
However, with the almost incomparable high quality that Louis Vuitton offers with its original products, they are truly worth it.
Furthermore, Louis Vuitton seems to have the interesting ability to appreciate with time. For instance, some of the epic explorer trunks that Louis Vuitton made himself in the 1800s cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and are a favorite for vintage collectors.
Does Louis Vuitton Sell on Amazon?
You can find Louis Vuitton items on Amazon, but they will not be directly from Louis Vuitton stores. The Louis Vuitton branded products on Amazon are mostly sold by previous buyers/owners.
Where To Buy Original Louis Vuitton Products
Original Louis Vuitton items are available at all Louis Vuitton physical outlets, as well as their official website.
Read Also: Why are Melin Hats So Expensive? (Are they Worth the $1200 Price Tag?)
Louis Vuitton FAQs
Is Louis Vuitton Luxury or Designer?
Louis Vuitton is an exclusive luxury brand. Louis Vuitton products are made more for status, statement, and enjoyment than necessity or immediate use.
Does Louis Vuitton Ever Go on Sale?
Original Louis Vuitton never goes on sale or offer discounts for their products. Their prices for their items are all constant and, if anything, only increase with demand and time.
Can you buy Louis Vuitton Items Online?
Yes, you can find and buy Louis Vuitton’s original items online through their website and online shop.
Are Louis Vuitton Items Handmade?
All Louis Vuitton items are handcrafted. Louis Vuitton takes pride in being one of the only big brands that give every product the human touch before releasing them to the world.
Are Louis Vuitton Items Cheaper in France or Italy?
As previously mentioned, Louis Vuitton does not offer discounts or offers on its products. However, the fact remains that their products are indeed cheaper in France than in Italy or any other place since it is their brand’s capital.
Items in France do not have the extra tax charges that occur outside of France due to importation, quality assessment, and inland transportation.