The Stories of Louis Vuitton Coated Canvas
July 9, 2020
Grey Trianon Canvas
(1858 – 1876)
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Louis Vuitton Grey Trianon Canvas trunk. Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Trunk is a bulky cuboid container with compartments inside to store belongings of travelers in the olden days, who were away from home for extended period of time. In 1850s, train, steamer, wagon or carriage were the primary modes of transportation. Thus, every trunk was built for rough usage with a lock installed to prevent theft.
Grey Trianon Canvas was used on Louis Vuitton trunks from year 1858 to 1876. It was considered modern during that time because of its lighter colour.
In the past, trunks had a rounded top for water to easily flow away but they consumed large storage space because they had to put side by side instead of stacking. Flat-top trunk, also known as steamer trunk, was then introduced in late 1870s. With the use of waterproof Grey Trianon Canvas, Louis Vuitton trunks had nonetheless facilitated stacking and prevent damage to valuables of its wealthy clients.
Rayee Canvas
(1872 – 1888)
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Louis Vuitton Rayee Canvas Trunk. Photo courtesy of www.catawiki.no.
Rayee means striped in French. Featuring stripes of two colours, Rayee Canvas was used in the making of Louis Vuitton trunks from year 1872 to 1888 to thwart counterfeiting of Grey Trianon Canvas.
Louis Vuitton antique trunks have now became collectibles and a trunk can easily costs more than USD10,000. They are highly sought after by collectors around the world.
I do not affiliate with catawiki. But if you are interested to see more images of the above Louis Vuitton trunk , just click at the link, I hope the web page is still valid.
Wanted to know how to pronoun Rayée in French? Check out the audio recording below.
It’s amazing to see how people from different countries interact on Instagram. I was informed by La malle en coin today (26 September 2020) that they are the one who restored this beautiful trunk for a French dealer. See their comment on Instagram.
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Damier Canvas
(1888 – Present)
Featuring dark and light brown checkered pattern, Damier Canvas design was invented by Georges Vuitton (1857 – 1936) in year 1888. He was the only child of Louis Vuitton. Damier Canvas design was reintroduced in year 1998 as Damier Ebene. The design was then further expanded to include different colours such as Azur, Graphite (introduced since year 2008) and Cobalt. If you look carefully, the checkered pattern is actually the result of countless lighter/darker grain-shape motif printed on the canvas in vertical and horizontal directions. I find this details make the Damier Canvas especially beautiful and delicate.
Louis Vuitton Damier Canvas in Ebene, Azur, Graphite and Cobalt.
Like Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas, Damier Canvas tends to turn dull after long period of intensive usage. However, with its lightweight, waterproofing and easy-to-care-for features, on top of its durability (withstands abrasions and scratches) and timelessness design, it remains so popular among Louis Vuitton enthusiasts until today.
Monogram Canvas
(1896 – Present)
Similar to Louis Vuitton Damier Canvas, Monogram Canvas was also invented by Georges Vuitton. Featuring the iconic LV, flower and quatrefoil logos, the Monogram Canvas is used on many products since 1896. If you look carefully, there is countless fine lines printed on those logo motifs. I believe that is to thwart counterfeit.
Besides the beige (logo motifs) and brown (background) design, the House has developed a few other classic designs (Monogram Reverse, Monogram Eclipse, Monogram Eclipse Reverse) over time and tremendous amount of limited editions. When I was compiling the limited edition designs and planned to include them here, the list was growing exponentially. Thus, I have to create another few blogs about Louis Vuitton Limited Edition Monogram Canvas.
Louis Vuitton Classic Coated Canvas – Monogram, Monogram Reverse, Monogram Eclipse and Monogram Eclipse Reverse. Head to my post Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Colour and Pattern to explore more.
With its lightweight, waterproofing, durable (withstands abrasions and scratches), easy-to-care-for and best-match-to-any-outfit attributes, the Monogram Canvas remains as the favorite canvas design for many Louis Vuitton enthusiasts and celebrities.
While reading through the stories of Louis Vuitton coated canvas since 1858, I hope you enjoy this video, Letters on Leather, The Art of Craftsmanship, brought to you by Louis Vuitton.
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Last updated on December 2, 2020.
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