Louis Vuitton’s monogram turns 130 with global celebrations

IN LUXURY FASHION, FEW EMBLEMS have travelled as far and wide as Louis Vuitton’s monogram.

First introduced in 1896 by Georges Vuitton, the interlocking LV initials and floral emblems were designed to solve a practical problem: how to distinguish the house’s trunks from the growing wave of imitators.

More than a century later, the pattern has become one of the most recognisable visual codes in the world, visible everywhere from airport lounges to red carpets.

For 2026, Louis Vuitton has designated the monogram as the focus of its 130th anniversary year. Rather than invent a new logo or chase a short-lived trend, the brand is doubling down on the asset that has carried it across generations.

The anniversary opens with a renewed focus on five of Louis Vuitton’s most established Monogram bags: the Speedy, Keepall, Noe, Alma and Neverfull. Introduced between the 1930s and the early 2000s, these silhouettes form the backbone of the house’s leather-goods business. 

The Speedy and Keepall were born in the age of modern travel. The Noe began life as a champagne carrier. The Alma takes its form from Parisian bridge arches. And the Neverfull has become one of the most widely carried luxury totes of the last two decades. 

In 2026, these bags are celebrated not as nostalgic icons, but as everyday companions still central to how Louis Vuitton is worn.

Alongside them, three anniversary capsule collections reinterpret the monogram through material, craft and illusion. 

The Monogram Origine softens the familiar canvas by weaving the pattern into a new linen-and-cotton jacquard, offered in five different colours. Subtle historical details, including a name tag stamped with Louis Vuitton’s 19th-century signature, link the modern treatment back to the house’s origins.

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The VVN Collection shifts the focus from logo to material. Made from untreated natural cowhide, the bags darken and develop patina over time, with the monogram used sparingly as a secondary accent rather than a dominant graphic.

Time Trunk, the most visually playful line, uses trompe-l’oeil printing to recreate the look of Louis Vuitton’s iconic hard-sided trunks on soft canvas bags, turning rigid travel cases into a graphic illusion.

To extend the celebration beyond product, Louis Vuitton is also transforming its physical spaces worldwide. Store windows are being reimagined as theatrical showcases of the monogram’s heritage, with references to early patents, historic stamps and the wax seals that once certified the authenticity of Vuitton’s canvas.

The celebrations continue with three immersive pop-ups in Shanghai, New York and Seoul, each conceived as a “Louis Vuitton Hotel” with rooms dedicated to different Monogram icons – from a Keepall lobby with personalisation and care services, to a Speedy bedroom, an Alma balcony and a Neverfull gym.

Rather than simply presenting products, the spaces invite visitors to move through the brand’s history and design language in physical form.

Together, the capsules, window displays and pop-ups show how the house is treating its monogram in 2026 – not as a static logo, but as a living system that can shift between heritage, material and spectacle, while remaining instantly, unmistakably Louis Vuitton.