Louis Vuitton is one of the most prestigious and recognised brands in the world. Its legacy story is legendary; 16-year-old Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris and began mastering his craft under the guidance of renowned trunk maker Romaine Maréchal. Vuitton opened his first luxury luggage boutique in Paris in 1854. Unbeknownst to Vuitton, not only did his innovative, flat-lid trunk cause a sensation and revolutionise travel at the time, he also created the world’s most successful and long-lasting luxury house. In 1987, Louis Vuitton merged with wines and spirits company Moët Hennessy to form the world’s most valuable luxury goods conglomerate.
Vuitton himself was born in 1821, and in 2021 the french house celebrated the 200th anniversary of his birth with Louis 200: video games, NFTs, an Apple TV documentary, a novel, artworks, window installations, and social interactions galore.
But before the new digital age of Vuitton, there was Marc Jacobs, the Creative Director of Louis Vuitton for 16 years, from 1997 to 2014. Under Jacobs’ tenure, the luggage manufacturer metamorphosed into a fully-fledged fashion house — the designer launched the brand’s first ready-to-wear collection in 1998 and the men’s line in 2004.
His stunning runway shows amazed the fashion world season after season in the early 2000s, and collaborations with some of the art world’s most contemporary talent, like Takeshi Murakami and Stephen Sprouse, captured the zeitgeist. His ad campaigns featured the hottest celebrities and models, lining up to be the face of LV. In recognition of his genius, Jacobs was named the “World’s Most Influential Designer” in 2011.
To celebrate Louis 200, here are ten of our favourite Louis Vuitton campaigns under Marc Jacobs.
Autumn/Winter 2000
Kate Moss, Christy Turlington, Stéphanie Seymour by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.
Spring/Summer 2001
Four years into his tenure at Louis Vuitton, Jacobs did the unthinkable — he revamped the LV logo for the Louis Vuitton x Stephen Sprouse collection debuted at the spring/summer 2001 show. The reimagined monogram print using Sprouse’s signature graffiti font broke new fashion boundaries.
Spring/Summer 2003
Jacobs enlisted contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami on a collection that launched some of the most iconic It Bags of the early 00s. His white Multicolore Monogram accessories appeared on the arms of celebrities like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls. Murakami’s further collections – Cerises, Cherry Blossom, Monogramoflague — and his character print bags were just as coveted.
Autumn/Winter 2003
J-Lo for Louis Vuitton Fall Winter 2003 by Mert Atlas and Marcus Pigott.
Spring/Summer 2004
Naomi Campbell by Mert Atlas and Marcus Pigot.
Autumn/Winter 2004
Christina Ricci by Mert Atlas and Marcus Pigott.
Spring/Summer 2005
Spring Summer 2005 with Uma Thurman fronting the second Marc Jacobs x Takeshi Murakami collab.
Spring/Summer 2006
Gisele Bündchen by Mert Atlas and Marcus Pigott.
Spring/Summer 2007
Scarlett Johansson for Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2007.
Spring/Summer 2009
Madonna becomes the face of Louis Vuitton for spring 2009.
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