The first Louis Vuitton store opened in Germany in 1977, the Time Capsule Exhibit marks the 40th anniversary of that first store.
Time Capsule tells the story of Louis Vuitton using a hand-picked selection of objects and documents from the Maison’s archive covering over 160 years.
The exhibition is short, even if you read every word in the entire thing you’ll likely only spend about 30 minutes inside. The short loop takes you through the first flat trunk, a revolutionary design that allowed stacking of trunks and the ability to more easily attach to the back of cars.
See past and present collaborations with designers including a SUPREME skateboard and case as well as some of the most iconic designs past and present. A quick timeline (below) walks you through a history of highlights where you may be surprised to learn a thing or two.
If you’re in Berlin now until October 8th it’s worth a pop in to have a look.
Key Dates
- 1821 – Birth of Louis Vuitton.
- 1854 – Louis Vuitton founds his company and opens his first store in Paris.
- 1858 – Creation of the ground-breaking flat trunk in grey Trianon canvas.
- 1859 – Construction of the first Louis Vuitton workshop in Asnieres.
- 1872 – Introduction of striped canvas as an alternative to grey Trianon canvas.
- 1875 – Creation of the ‘Wardrobe’.
- 1888 – Introduction of Damier canvas with the mark L. Vuitton, marque deposee.
- 1890 – Georges Vuitton, the son of Louis Vuitton, patents his design for an ‘unpickable’ lock with five tumblers.
- 1896 – Introduction of Monogram canvas, designed by Georges Vuitton to thwart the company’s many imitators.
- 1901 – Creation of the Steamer Bag, the forerunner of soft bags.
- 1914 – Opening of a Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
- 1930 – Creation of the Keepall, the most legendary of all Louis Vuitton bags.
- 1959 – The development of a supple waterproof coating enables soft bags to be made in Monogram canvas for the first time.
- 1977 – Opening of Louis Vuitton Munich, the first store in Germany.
- 1985 – Launch of the Epi line.
- 1986 – Opening of the first store in Berlin.
- 1993 – Launch of the Taiga line for men.
- 1997 – Appointment of Marc Jacobs as Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton.
- 2001 – Launch of the Monogram Graffiti line, created with the American artist Stephen Sprouse.
- 2003 – Launch of the Monogram Multicolor line, created with the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.
- 2008 – Launch of the Monogramouflage line by Takashi Murakami.
- 2010 – Creation of the trunk for the FIFA Trophy
- 2011 – Appointment of Kim Joes as Men’s Artistic Director.
- 2012 – Launch of the Objets Nomades collection.
- 2013 – Appointment of Nicolas Ghesquiere as Artistic Director for Women’s Collections.
- 2014 – Opening of the Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris. Opening of the new Frankfurt/Main store.
- 2015 – Creation of the trunk for the Webb Ellis Cup, Rugby’s greatest prize.
- 2016 – Launch of Louis Vuitton fragrance Les Parfums Louis Vuitton.
- 2017 – Launch of Masters collection – a collaboration with Jeff Koons. Creation of trunks for two trophies awarded at the French Open.
Open from September 15th to October 8th 2017, entrance is free and at the end, you get a little present in the form of two postcards from the renowned Maison Louis Vuitton, which I’m sure no one will send at all – but rather put on their walls.