When Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala in Punjab was travelling around the world in the 19th century, he wanted his luggage to be to his liking. He was a great admirer of France. His love for all things French was so great that his palace in Kapurthala was modelled on the lines of the Versailles Palace in France.

So, the Maharaja of Kapurthala got the best of French luxury in the job: Louis Vuitton created over 60 trunks for Singh – all custom-made. His robes, swords, turbans, suits, shoes and opulent traditional attire were all stored in separate trunks.

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For the rich and the royal

However, Kapurthala was not the only lover of Louis Vuitton’s famous trunks. They have been making trunks for the rich and famous around the world since 1858. From the shores of Egypt to the many Maharajas of India, royal families have been on the buyers’ list of LV trunks, and it all started in 1858, when Louis Vuitton introduced the first LV trunk to the world.

Louis Vuitton Malletier named his brand after the word ‘trunk’ or ‘scum’. The trunk maker’s first trunks were made in Trianon canvas, which was waterproof and extremely durable. The canvas allowed LV to make his trunks flat-topped and bottomed. These trunks could be stacked on top of one another. They were more travel-friendly than the round-top trunks used at the time. Until then, trunks had a rounded top so that water could slide off the bottom. Now, with the Trianon canvas, Louis Vuitton has solved that problem.

Mail Trunk

Brand patented the Maille Courier or Mail Trunk in 1867. Essentially, it was a flat trunk.

Over the following decades, LV also made its trunks counterfeit-proof, including a variety of canvases in between. The Monogram canvas began to be used in 1897. It is now the most popular and widely used Louis Vuitton canvas.

From the 19th century to today, Louis Vuitton’s creativity can best be seen in their special-order trunks, which are made in Asnieres. Materials such as zinc, copper, wood and canvas combine with an abundance of leathers including natural cowhide, calf, crocodile, alligator, elephant, walrus, lizard, snake and seal; in trunks which are then transported around the world. Sometimes, for world-famous events.

2024 Paris Olympics

This brings us to the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the torch will be carried in a special Louis Vuitton trunk.

The Olympic torch arrived at Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris 12 days before the opening of the 2024 Olympic Games. The case showcases Louis Vuitton’s signature craftsmanship. The custom-made suitcase was placed on a pedestal in the middle of the Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées until it was opened and the torch was handed over to Thierry Henry. The French football legend then carried the flaming torch to the nearby Place de la Concorde.

Paris is in the final stages of preparations before the Games are announced to open on July 26.

Sponsorship worth $163 million

The French capital is the headquarters of the LVMH empire. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton spent $163 million for the Paris Olympics last year. Moët Hennessy is in charge of the wines in the Olympic hospitality suites, while Parisian jeweler Chaumet is designing the winner’s medals this year.

Thanks to LVMH’s premium sponsor status, the torch arrived in Paris in an LV suitcase. This year the trunk has been a permanent element in the torch’s journey, which will last 79 days.

‘Vijay travels in L.V.’

Louis Vuitton is in charge of various trophy trunks around the world. You may remember that Indian actress and LV ambassador Deepika Padukone unveiled the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 from a Louis Vuitton trunk. The FIFA trophy is among the list of trophies that Louis Vuitton trunks carry around the world.

The brand says of its trophy trunks, “Victory travels at Louis Vuitton.” The brand’s centuries-old tradition of savoir-faire – ‘knowing how to do’ in French – is why the trunks carry sporting trophies from sporting events around the world. These trophy trunks are handcrafted by the maison’s masters in their historic workshop in Asnieres, just outside Paris.

His trophy trunk currently includes trophies from the Grand Prix de Monaco, the Australian Open, the Davis Cup, Roland Garros’ Suzanne Lenglen Cup and Musketeers Cup, the Rugby World Cup, the Ballon d’Or, the FIFA World Cup, the NBA’s Larry O’Brien, League of Legends’ Summoners Cup, and the America’s Cup.

LV Trunks are known for their class, durability and French sexiness that probably no one else can do. Then there is the money LVMH spends to secure relationships with sporting events for their trophy trunks. Then there is their long and illustrious list of world famous clients.

One for a tea case, one for a mallet

Take the Gaekwads of Baroda, for example. In 1926, Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III came across a sketch of a concept tea case by LV in an issue of Harper’s Bazaar. He thought this tea case would be the perfect companion for his tiger hunt. So, he immediately ordered one from Mason and LV delivered the tea case in 1930. The case was made of grained leather and contained all the tea making accessories that the Maharaja might need on a hunting trip.

His tea box was revolutionary for its time; a time when compactness was not a popular concept. Gaekwad remained a lifelong patron of Louis Vuitton.

In 1925, Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir commissioned Louis Vuitton to create special trunks for his clothing and accessories. Singh was also a polo enthusiast and wanted an LV trunk for his mallet. The brand delivered.

Over a period of seven months in 1928, Singh had 38 LV trunks made for himself, with the purpose marked on the contents. One of these trunks was a toiletry kit that stood out: it contained over 50 silver items; including brushes, bottles, soap boxes, razors and a jewellery box! All of these trunks were stamped with J&K stamped with a diagonal stripe.

Tilbury for the eccentric countess

The royal fascination with LV trunks transcends countries and centuries; from Indian maharajas who couldn’t rest until they set off on journeys with their visions made of leather and canvas; to eccentric French explorer Blanche de Clermont Tonnerre, who wanted to travel the world on her own terms in a carriage she built.

Tonnerre didn’t want to go through the trouble of thinking up a way to travel to places like India, Persia, China, Siberia and Iraq. Remember, we’re talking the early twentieth century here. So, in 1910, she knocked on the doors of people she believed could make Tilbury for her – complete with trunk – Louis Vuitton.

And Vuitton accepted the challenge. It created a set of Tilbury carriages as well as LV trunks for the adventurer. This two-wheeled carriage could be detached and reassembled at will, and it made the trip to Tonnerre easier.

center of attention

From Punjab to Paris, royalty cannot do without luxury. It requires awe. It requires spectacle. It requires a certain exclusivity that sets it apart.

So, when the world’s oldest games get underway, luxury and extravagance reign supreme. It’s only fitting that the torch travels in a trunk from the OG trunkmakers, renowned for their tradition of savoir-faire. Because they know how to do it right.