This1905 Malle Louis Vuitton Steamer with Tray is from the turn of the twentieth century. Run your hands over the soft satin top, or marvel at the tiny, hand fabricated details that allowed for Louis Vuitton to distinguish themselves from other trunk makers of the time. Louis Vuitton trunks were always considered a luxurious item, but it wasn’t really until the early 1900s when people began to see exactly why Louis Vuitton was a step above the rest.
There were many trunk shops and trunk makers all over the world, since it was an imperative item to have for the traveling class. With the rise of the industrial age, trunk making began to become obsolete as machines took the job of the workshop workers. Materials changed, more trunks were made, costs were down, profits were up. And while Louis Vuitton was always successful, they never sacrificed their process or their workers to go into mass production. They continued to use the “old fashioned” tools and treat it as an art, and in doing so, they have become a fashion institution that has persisted from one century to the next and to the next.
