For the Olympics 2024, LVMH exclusively introduces the ateliers of Berluti in Paris and Louis Vuitton in Asnières, with La Malle Courrier exhibition
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After highlighting the partnership between LVMH group and the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we are opening the doors to the manufacturing workshops of two of the group’s flagship brands, Louis Vuitton and Berluti. The first is located in Asnières-sur-Seine in the suburbs of Paris and the second in the heart of Paris. As a reminder, the luxury brand Berluti was able to put the know-how and experience of its artisans to provide the outfits to French athletes during the two Opening Ceremonies of Paris 2024 which take place on July 26 and August 28. In fact, Berluti’s artisans are committed to meeting the specific needs of athletes by offering tailor-made clothing that adapts to all body types.
Thus, a wide range of sizes was developed for them, including non-standard sizes to ensure a perfect fit for each member of the French Team. Under the artistic direction of the journalist Carine Roitfeld, Berluti closely worked with those various French athletes, as well as the Olympic and Paralympic Committees, to better understand their expectations and integrate their feedback into those designs. Keeping in mind a goal to showcase French know-how through elegant and functional outfits, reflecting the excellence and tradition of an iconic house, in front of a large global audience, attending those historic French Olympic Games. By AP & ST
Located in Asnières-sur-Seine, a few kilometers northwest of Paris, the Maison Louis Vuitton‘s workshop is an iconic place where history, tradition, and innovation come together. Founded in 1859 by Louis Vuitton himself, this house is much more than just a production site. Thus, this institution represents the historical and spiritual heart of one of the most iconic luxury brands in the World (photo credits: AP & ST).
Just five years after founding his eponymous house in 1854, the trunk maker Louis Vuitton decided to move his workshops from Paris to Asnières, a small village then in the midst of industrial expansion.
This move responded to a pressing need, the booming house needed more space to meet the growing demand for its trunks, already highly prized by the Parisian elite. The Asnières site then became both Louis Vuitton’s family residence and the heart of its artisanal activity. The Art Nouveau-style house built on this site embodies the elegance and refinement of the founder. It is a living testimony to 19th-century aesthetics, combining functionality and beauty. Today, this house still stands, carefully preserved, and serves as both a living memory of the Vuitton family and a place of inspiration for this legendary brand.
The Asnières site is not only a historical symbol, it is also an active production center where the exceptional know-how of the artisans is perpetuated. The workshops, which have existed since the site’s founding, are housed in Eiffel-style buildings, a tribute to 19th-century industrial architecture. These workshops are dedicated to the creation of rigid trunks, exotic leather goods and the production of personalized orders. Each piece that comes out is the result of meticulous work, where every detail is taken care of with artisanal precision. The trunks, true icons of the brand, are made using traditional methods, but with the ability to adapt to the contemporary needs of random customers.
In addition to those workshops, this site also houses a renovated gallery that presents the history of the house, its innovations and its lasting influence in the world of luxury. This place is not only a retrospective of the past, but a space where one can observe how Louis Vuitton continues to influence fashion and craftsmanship today. Thus, the Maison Louis Vuitton in Asnières is not simply a place of reception and design. It is a sanctuary of luxury, a space where past and present meet to create the objects that continue to fascinate the World. More than 160 years after its founding, this site remains the beating heart of the brand, a living testament to Louis Vuitton’s heritage and its unwavering commitment to artisanal know-how.
Ateliers Louis Vuitton, 2 Rue Louis Vuitton, 92600 Asnières-sur-Seine (France) / Phone : 00 33 (0)1 55 80 33 22. More information on their official website.
Adding to this and in the same place, from May 23rd, 2023 until an undetermined date, the illustrious Louis Vuitton company presents its incredible ephemeral exhibition, named La Malle Courrier, which highlights its legendary trunk, as an emblematic piece of its know-how.
Thus, the gallery of this Maison de Famille (family house) from Louis Vuitton, located in Asnières-sur-Seine, unveils the emblematic trunks inspired by the famous Malle Courrier, the time of an exclusive luggage installation, full of a series of dreamlike contours (photo credits: ST).
This iconic object, created in 1858, reveals an innovative and lightweight design, made from the incomparable oil cloth, also known as toile cirée, a waterproof material, that went through all ages to cover those Vuitton elements.
A timeless creation, adorned with the famous monogram, for a true ode to the House’s spirit of travel. Don’t miss this unparalleled immersive experience, where you would travel back in time to discover the evolution of the Vuitton’s most distinctive creations, from the early days until the recent design of the late Virgil Abloh and Pharrell Williams.
Learn more about it through a series of video projections, but even levitating trunks, a cabinet of curiosities and a gallery of mirrors, displaying a series of artistic realizations, both displaying innovative and captivating energies. By the way, the historic heart of Louis Vuitton, also known as the Maison d’Asnières has been hosting its workshops since 1859.
At once a family home, a manufacturing space and an exhibition venue, this place became the scene of a permanent creative ferment, from the first days until nowadays.
Bringing together the most experienced craftsmen, it offers an ideal framework for the manufacture of legendary pieces, such as handbags, rigid pieces and special orders made from rare and precious materials. Among them, the Malle Courrier is revealed in a unique exhibition.
Created in 1858 and patented in 1867, this trunk masterpiece embodies the spirit of travel through its practical function and waterproof structure. With its name inspired by long-haul flights, it concentrates all the artisanal know-how of .
La Malle Courrier, 18 Rue Louis Vuitton, 92600 Asnières-sur-Seine (France) / Phone : 00 33 (0)9 77 40 40 77. More information about booking on this website.
In another hand, synonymous with ultra-luxury in the World of men’s shoes, Berluti is a brand recognized worldwide for its exceptional know-how. Since the end of the Second World War, the Maison Berluti has operated from its legendary workshop, located in the heart of Paris, on Rue Marbeuf, near the Champs-Elysées. This place, both a boutique and an atelier, embodies a true journey into the art of leather and noble materials, making each visit a unique experience. Founded in 1895 by the Italian designer Alessandro Berluti, the Berluti house is an essential institution in the field of custom-made shoes. After setting up in Paris as a shoemaker at the end of the 19th century, the young Alessandro Berluti opened his first boutique-workshop on Rue du Mont-Thabor.
The growing success of his creations led him to move to a prestigious building on Rue Marbeuf, near the Champs-Élysées Avenue. It is in this exclusive workshop that the custom-made shoes for men, today emblematic of the brand, are born. At Berluti, each shoe and costume is much more than just a shoe and a costume, it is a true work of art, characterized by tapered shapes and deep patinas. That’s why Berluti‘s various creations may eventually confer a special status on their owner, as those outfits are the fruit of a carefully preserved artisanal and custom-made tradition. Thus, in parallel of ready-to-wear collections, anyone could adopt unique custom-made pieces, based on a long creative process.
Therefore, this protocol usually begins with meticulous measurements of the customer’s feet, followed by the selection of a base model, called a “nude model”. Next, these artisans apply a personalized patina and color, before proceeding with the final glazing, that gives their shoes spectacular nuances. At Berluti, the art of patina is a true foundation, a poetic practice, where shades such as Tobacco brown or Saint-Émilion red are in the spotlight. The Berluti boutique on Rue Marbeuf is much more than just a store; it is the birthplace of the brand. This historic location in Paris allows visitors to purchase ready-to-wear collections, as well as luxury leather goods accessories, such as bags, pouches and belts.
On top of that, a room is dedicated to the exhibition of the lasts of feet, preserved by the master shoemakers, while the artisans are busy cutting and assembling the pieces a few meters away. The making of a pair of Berluti‘s shoes can require up to 50 hours of work, while their outfits may need 80 hours, explaining why it is often necessary to wait up to six months between taking the measurements and the final delivery. Thereafter, in November 2013, the Berluti house, owned by the LVMH group, inaugurated its other Parisian maison in the Left Bank, spread over two levels. This new location brings together the entire Berluti offer, while offering a new service inherited from Arnys, known as the Grande Mesure (photo credits: Berluti).
This know-how, once mostly specific to old tailors, is now integrated into Berluti‘s service, offering customers the possibility of a tailor-made wardrobe, from head to toe. Indeed, in this house, the emphasis is on welcome and transparency. You can admire this know-how from those artisans, acting under your eyes on the patina and colors of the ready-to-shoe models, behind the facade’s windows. By the way, those same windows, sometimes designed by the collaborator David Merveille, explore many themes, according to the season and the mood. At the same time, Berluti organizes, so does Louis Vuitton, exclusive open days for its clientele, notably during the “Journées Particulières”.
Berluti, 14 rue de Sèvres, 75007 Paris (France) / Phone: 00 33 (0)1 40 48 28 60. More details on their official website.
