Louis Vuitton was born on February 2, 1821, as the third son in a family that ran a sawmill in the village of Anchay, in the Jura Mountains of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France, near the Swiss border. His father was François-Xavier Vuitton, and his mother was Marie Coronne Gaillard.
A significant turning point in Louis Vuitton’s life occurred when he was ten years old. His mother died giving birth to her fifth child, and the following year, his father remarried. His stepmother treated Louis and his siblings harshly, forcing them to do arduous tasks. This difficult environment led young Louis to frequently sneak away with his friends to fish for trout in the Valouse and Ain rivers. For a boy of about ten, tending the water mill, looking after several cows, and collecting wood shavings from the sawmill to fuel the hearth were incredibly tough jobs.
In 1835, at the age of 14, possibly driven by his impatience or the harsh treatment he endured, Louis Vuitton ran away from home to go to Paris.
As he journeyed to Paris, Louis took various jobs to support himself, sometimes working as a stable boy or a restaurant waiter. However, the work he enjoyed the most was woodworking, the only trade he was familiar with. He would travel even out of his way to places like Morvan and Haute to find work thinning forests. Through these experiences, Louis learned about different types of wood, such as oak, cherry, beech, ash, poplar, and chestnut, which he had not encountered in his native Jura. This journey, which sometimes left him well-fed and at other times hungry, lasted for over a year until he finally reached Paris.
Upon arriving in Paris, Louis began working as an apprentice for Monsieur Maréchal, a “layetier-emballeur” (box-maker and packer) on Rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré, near the Opéra. Maréchal and Vuitton designed and assembled poplar wood boxes for storing expensive garments. Louis quickly became skilled at this work, spending ten years meticulously selecting and working with wood, honing his craft without taking a break.
During this period, a fashion for “crinolines”—hoop skirts—among the French aristocracy meant that specialized storage for these garments was necessary during travel. This created a demand for expert box-makers and packers.
By the age of 30, Louis had become the foremost “layetier-emballeur” in France. He often worked with renowned tailors, packing luxurious haute couture garments. In 1852, when Napoleon III ascended to the throne and married Eugénie de Montijo in January 1853, the frequency of balls, receptions, and travels surged. This led to an influx of orders for box-making and packing services. Maréchal and his dedicated assistant Louis regularly visited the Empress Eugénie at the Élysée Palace. Initially, the Empress personally supervised the packing of her elaborate costumes, but eventually, she entrusted the task entirely to Louis.
In May 1854, Louis Vuitton married Émile Clemence Parriaux. At 34, Louis had saved enough money through his diligence and had a deep love for his craft, working with rough wood, delicate satin, and tricky silk. He also married the woman he loved and was well-acquainted with both famous tailors and discerning clients who recognized his skill. His aging employer, Maréchal, was considering retirement.
After weeks of consideration, Louis and Émile decided it was time to establish their own business. They opened the world’s first travel trunk workshop, Louis Vuitton. Located on Rue Neuve-des-Capucines (now Rue des Capucines), near the ateliers of Peace Street and Place Vendôme, the workshop was soon operational. Just days after opening, Louis introduced his own trunk design, featuring a waterproof gray canvas called “Gris Trianon.” This marked the beginning of Louis Vuitton’s history as a master trunk-maker, “Louis Vuitton Malletier.”
