In this new Assouline book, over 350 images are spread out over 400 pages dedicated to the Maison.
A book collaboration by French fashion house Louis Vuitton and luxury publisher Assouline was announced at the start of this month. The book, titled Louis Vuitton Manufactures, showcases the ateliers and artisans that create the maison’s stunning pieces.
Louis Vuitton fosters the idea that an atelier can be a place of fulfillment and individuality, a place where savoir-faire can be learned, respected and transmitted, and innovation nurtured. As shown in the tome, their artisans routinely challenge the image of a traditional workshop.
In pursuit of regional expertise and artisanal excellence, the brand’s ateliers span the length and breadth of France as well as to places such as Geneva, Fiesso d’Artico, and even Texas. Sites of historic interest or outstanding natural beauty will often have a Louis Vuitton workshop nearby: In Normandy, the sea-girt fastness of Mont Saint Michel can be seen from the workshop at Ducey, and in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, our light-flooded facility promises low environmental impact.
Featuring photographs commissioned exclusively for this book, the volume showcases the extraordinary locations and buildings of Louis Vuitton’s ateliers. Of course, also given the spotlight are their extraordinary artisans who express their talent through the House’s creations, while carrying the founder’s techniques and savoir-faire into the 21st century. It is to these ateliers and the inspiring people who work there that this book is dedicated.
This special publication is brought to life by Nicholas Foulkes. The author, historian, and journalist is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, Financial Times How to Spend It, and The Rake Magazine, and luxury editor of British GQ. Best known for his trilogy of nineteenth-century British histories, Last of the Dandies, Dancing into Battle, and Gentlemen and Blackguards, he has published around 30 books on history, the arts and style.
Among his recent works are a biography of the painter Bernard Buffet (Random House) and Time Tamed, a history of mankind’s calibration of time from the Palaeolithic era to the moon landings (Simon & Schuster). His books for Assouline include Bals: Legendary Costume Balls of the Twentieth Century (2011); Swans: Legends of the Jet Society (2013); The Impossible Collection of Watches (2014), and Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso (2020).
Photos courtesy of LOUIS VUITTON
