MANILA, Philippines - With the development of its own publications, Louis Vuitton is a pioneering figure in the luxury industry. With a catalogue of some 50 titles, Louis Vuitton’s publications concentrate on three collections with a clear focus on travel. In collaboration with international editors, books are published each year to give a clear perspective on the brand’s heritage.
The City Guides collection has already passed through over 80 cities across the world and calls on the talents of more than 100 independent journalists. The house also publishes an original collection of Travel Notebooks, illustrated with sketches from renowned artists and watercolorists like Ruben Toledo. The destinations on offer include Paris, London, Tokyo, New York and Rio de Janeiro. Last but not least, since 1994 Louis Vuitton has jointly published travel accounts, the “Voyager Avec” collection, by great writers in collaboration with La Quinzaine Literaire: Marguerite Yourcenar, Georges Simenon, Henry James, Marcel Proust, Blaise Cendrars, Virginia Woolf and many others.
The new collection of Louis Vuitton City Guides was released on Oct. 15, touching down in new, totally unprecedented cities. London, Los Angeles and Rome are also being offered for the first time in individual box sets, while the indispensable European edition is adding six new destinations to its map: Basel, Deauville, Knokke-le-Zoute, Mykonos, Malaga and Tel Aviv. With 10,000 addresses, including charming hotels, gourmet restaurants, chef’s bistros, artists’ haunts, wine bars, chocolate shops, delicatessens, art and design galleries, museums, spas and fashion stores, the Louis Vuitton City Guides collection provides the traveler with an original view.
In parallel, with a view to sharing its rich heritage with a wider public, Louis Vuitton collaborates on a series of fine books about the brand in partnership with international publishers (Louis Vuitton: The Birth of Modern Luxury, 2005; Louis Vuitton: The Art of the Automobile, 2007; The History of the Louis Vuitton Cup, 2008; Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture, 2009).
Books have always enjoyed a privileged position in LV’s history. Gaston Vuitton (1883-1970), the founder’s grandson, was himself a passionate bibliophile and an enlightened publisher of limited-edition fine books. Among the house’s loyal customers, numerous writers such as Ernest Hemingway or Françoise Sagan have ordered library trunks or typewriter cases. Since it opened in 1914, the Champs-Elysees store has offered its customers a comfortable reading and writing room. This tradition is perpetuated today in the houses of Paris, Taipei, Hong Kong and shortly London, where Louis Vuitton bookshops offer a refined selection of books on art, fashion, design and travel.
LV has been synonymous with the art of stylish travel since 1854. Since 1987, it has been part of LVMH/Moet Hennessy, the world’s most prestigious luxury goods group headed by Bernard Arnault. Since 1997, with the arrival of the designer Marc Jacobs, it has extended its expertise to women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, shoes, watches, jewelry and sunglasses, combining traditional craftsmanship with flair and innovation to create a complete lifestyle experience. Today Louis Vuitton has an exclusive network of stores all across the world.
The Louis Vuitton City Guides are on sale in Louis Vuitton stores and on louisvuitton.com.