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@HECHT PHOTO FEATURESCAMERAPRESS 60 S ome patterns transcend their original purpose. Louis Vuitton's Monogram is one. Created by Georges Vuitton in 1896, the interlocking LV initials and floral motifs began as a defense against imitation. Over the next 130 years, they moved from steamer trunks to handbags, fashion and contemporary art — reworked by Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama, Rei Kawakubo, and Frank Gehry. Through every iteration, the composition has remained unmistakable. The Origins By the end of the 19th century, Louis Vuitton trunks had become desirable enough to attract imitators. Following the Striped canvas of 1872 and Damier of 1888, Georges Vuitton introduced the Takashi Murakami gave it kaleidoscopic color. Yayoi Kusama covered it in dots. Rei Kawakubo cut through it. Frank Gehry turned it into a structural form. Jeff Koons introduced the Old Masters, while Urs Fischer distorted its familiar geometry. Each intervention revealed the strength of the original: The Monogram could absorb another creative language while maintaining its own unique identity. Five Icons The Monogram's e v o l u t i o n i s p e r h a p s b e s t u n d e r s t o o d t h r o u g h t h e o b j e c t s t h a t carried it. The Keepall, launched in 1930: soft, light and designed The Mark of Vuitton 130 Years of the Monogram Monogram in 1896, arranging his father's initials among diamonds and stylized flowers. Created four years after Louis Vuitton's death, it was both signature and tribute — placing his initials on something designed to travel. Its geometry reflected the visual culture of the period: Gothic quatrefoils and rosettes alongside the graphic economy of Japanese mon, or family crests. Decorative but disciplined, the composition still feels distinctly modern. A Universal Canvas L o u i s Vu i t t o n has never treated the Monogram as untouchable. By Steven Hempel. Left: Catherine Deneuve. Above: Georges Vuitton examining a Malle Fleurs in Monogram canvas, circa 1930. This miniature trunk was fitted with a zinc tray. "A Vuitton trunk and go away reassured" — a 1928 advertisement published in Vogue. Monogram Canvas hat trunk, 1912