Louis Vuitton was born in 1821 in France. At the age of 14 he traveled over 200 miles on foot to Paris. When he was sixteen, he became apprenticed to the skilled luggage maker Merachal, who worked for the wife of Napoleon III, Empress Eugenie. The skills Vuitton acquired under Merachal's teaching would later enable him to go into business for himself and set the stage for the creation of one of the most desired brands in the world.

In 1854 Louis Vuitton opened his own shop in Paris, selling high-end luggage. His designs were unique in that they were flat-topped and able to be stacked, making them very efficient for travel by ship or train. The luggage of the time was rounded and much less efficient when it came to saving space. Louis Vuitton luggage was of the highest quality and became very desirable.

In 1885 Vuitton opened a store in London. It was around this time the Damier Canvas was introduced marked with an L- a rough trademark of sorts. Louis Vuitton died in 1892. His son Georges carried on in his footsteps. One of his greatest accomplishments was to release the signature monogram canvas just before the turn of the centery. This was an attempt to stump the growing number of Vuitton counterfeiters.

During the next thirty years Georges made Louis Vuitton known world wide, continuing to create timeless products, gain exposure through such venues as the Chicago world fair, and open more stores in Europe and the US.