Jewel Box

Louis Vuitton marks the opening of its new store by going back to its roots.

- Divya Jalan

In 1837, a 16-year-old Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris from Jura in eastern France to work as an apprentice to box-maker and packer Monsieur Marechal. Over the next few years, Vuitton trained to become a malletier, tapping into the need for sturdy yet elegant luggage that would weather the long journeys taken at the time by boat, train, or horse-drawn carriage. Seventeen years later, Vuitton opened his own store at Place Vendôme to cater to the city’s well-heeled travellers.