TRAVELS: Asnières, the heart of Louis Vuitton

As you guys know, I travelled to Paris last week with Anna, Carola and the lovely people of Louis Vuitton to start our journey of discovering their #LVsecretplaces. Our first stop was the Asnières, also considered the heart of Louis Vuitton, where the traditional workshop and the family maison are located. The whole place had such a magical atmosphere and it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

“It’s in 1859, four years after the birth of the Maison, that Louis Vuitton decided to move his production site from Paris to Asnières. He settled there with his family in 1878, building houses in the garden surrounding the workshop, one of which, with a brick façade, still exists today and was also home to his son Georges Vuitton, who moved there in 1892. “

{wouldn’t mind calling a gorgeous place like this my “work”}

On the first floor of the family maison, there is a small private museum featuring a few of the oldest and most historic trunks. This steamer bag was one of my favorite items – I love the old logo, which is currently re-appearing in a few of Kim Jones’ collections!

{don’t you just instantly want to sink into those amazing chairs?}

{everyone that works at the workshop has a personal uniform with their name & the year that they started working at Louis Vuitton embroidered on it}

{all the made-to-order trunks are made in Asnières – the hours of craftsmanship and handwork that go into one piece depend entirely on the complexity of the individual design}

{the various leathers for the Haute Maroquinerie bags, which are also made in Asnières}

{… and then we met Mr. Patrick-Louis Vuitton. Such an honor!}

I really can’t find any other word than “magical” to describe the whole visit to Asnières … I think most girls dream of a Louis Vuitton bag, no matter if it is the speedy for an 18th birthday, or a special exotic bag as an anniversary gift. And to be able to explore the place where it all began and where these bags and trunks are crafted felt a bit surreal. One of the things I loved the most, was to see how the entire history of the Maison Louis Vuitton is inspired by travel. Even to this day, all made-to-order trunks have to have a purpose for travel. I personally think being able to travel is one of the biggest blessings in life, and to see a company honor that so much was simply inspiring!

**thanks to Carola for the 2 pictures of me!