LV Louis Weedon: The Mystery Of "Changing" Philosophy

A mature brand enterprise usually has a mature "money making" mode, especially a century old enterprise, because its business structure is often stereotyped.

When faced with pressure and challenges, this mode of talent and sensitivity to market demand are often indispensable.

In the long history, many large enterprises have such a pattern.

LV is one of them.

No visit to Champs Elysees, not really to Paris, but not to LV's head office, is not true to Champs Elysees.

This can be corroborated by the Champs Elysees in Paris.

The 154 year old LV company has such superhuman charisma. Its "secret" is "changing" instead of "rigid".

With the change, LV has taken a very decisive approach to the industry which does not match the future development strategy.

Instead of "rigid", it sells derivatives business which is contrary to the company's development strategy but can get high profits.

This "change" not rigid "money making mode" spurred on, LV has been advocating refinement, quality and comfort for hundreds of years as the starting point of design.

Therefore, the name of LV is rapidly spreading all over the world, becoming the most exquisite symbol of luxury goods.

To inherit the "changing DNA", and to manage the luxury brand that has passed over the past century, we need the successors from generation to generation to have the determination to pass down their names.

The Vuitton family, with its unique talents and sensitivity to the needs of different times, is a model in this respect.

In 1837, LV was born in a French carpenter's family. His father was a miller. He did a lot of carpentry work with his father in his childhood. He was able to survive by his craft when he was 10 years old, and he fully grasped all kinds of wood properties.

At the age of 14, LV wanted to develop in Paris because he could not afford to pay for the car. He could only walk on foot and earn a living by doing odd jobs.

But Louis had a "big" dream to soothe the soul: opening a shop of his own.

After his years of apprenticeship in a suitcase workshop, he started working for the French royal family and became a ballet worker.

At that time, when Napoleon II became the foundation, the expansion of the French territory aroused Napoleon's interest in Europe.

However, the pleasure of traveling is often greatly reduced because of some minor problems, because those gorgeous clothes are always unable to stay in the trunk properly.

At this time, poor boy LV, with his many years of skills, skillfully tied the Queen's clothes to the travel case.

Because of this, Louis, a young man from the countryside, soon got the attention and trust of Queen Napoleon.

Meanwhile, during the process of serving the queen, the pleasure of the travelers attracted the attention of LV.

At that time, the revolution of pportation was in the ascendant. Traveling by train became the most fashionable choice for travellers. However, it also brought great trouble to them: they did not make their clothes crumpled, that is, luggage bags fell down in the bumps of trains.

LV believes that it can relieve more people from travel worries and ease the work of serving the court in 1854. It founded the first leather goods store in Paris. Its main product is a flat cover luggage.

The box made of "Trianongrey" canvas soon became the first choice for the aristocrats in Paris.

Four years later, LV expanded its leather goods store and set up its first factory in Asni res, a suburb of Paris.

At this time, the design and production process is more focused on solving the practical problems of travelers. Based on the practical design concept, LV is deepening in fashion and specialization.

In 1871, LV opened a new store on Scribe Avenue. Four years later, it opened to central London.

The development of the company provides a more solid foundation for product innovation.

During that time, LV's classic product, the hard traveling case, was born in 1889. It adapts to the bumpy ride of long journey and brings comfort and comfort that travelers most need. So far, it is LV's pride.

In the late years, George Weedon, the son of LV, inherited the handy family tradition and invented the special lock "5-tumbler" in 1890 - a key to open all the LV suitcases of the customer, avoiding the trouble of a traveler's key to his pants.

In 1896, he had printed a famous "LV" brand on Monogram canvas, which began to inject ideas into LV as a brand symbol.

When the third generation of descendants Carsten Weedon showed his family creativity, handicrafts, a traditional industry, gradually possessed the industrial form of modern society.

Caston was closely related to the European artists at that time, and often invited them to participate in their design process, trying to pform their favorite classical elements into enduring fashion classics.

Imperceptibly, LV's products are increasingly "luxurious".

For example, LV all kinds of travel bags, bags, backpack, all kinds of documents, such as wallet, passport folder and other styles, about a month will launch new products, new styles.

Whether they are fashionable ladies or mature men, or even lively young people, they can find their own leather products at LV.

The delicately detailed LV can be customized for different needs, whether it is a wine bag with two bottles of wine, folding tables and chairs, which is a true symbol of "LV travel philosophy".

Such symbolism was deeply imprinted at a very early age when LV was young, but nothing could prove why he had such an idea.

As mentioned earlier, when he started his business, he did not hesitate to use his name as the brand name of the box.

He stipulated in the family regulations formulated by the LV family: his descendants are all girls, and the word "Lewis" must be included in the name. Every boy must have the word "Louis" in his name.

Over the past 150 years, the Weedon family has carried out his regulations.

LV can stand in the leading position of the international boutique industry, the fundamental reason is that it has its own special "DNA".

Not only has LV inherited his attitude towards quality and excellence.

George Weedon, the second generation of his successor, began to add an international vision and touch to the brand.

The third generation of Carsten Weedon has brought the brand to love the art, the creativity and the innovation characteristic.

At the same time, not only the descendants of the family, but every designer and other staff working for LV must understand LV's history and understand its unique "DNA".

The "change" with the times "LV" has a strong passion for the new style, mainly because every new design of it will soon be imitated by others, and only by constantly using the updated style to beat the opponent.

Its behavior has created the phenomenon that "fashion always changes fastest", which makes Paris's fashionable chasing people have to patronize its stores frequently, so that they will not be left behind overnight.

In fact, the experience of 150 years has not only created a legendary brand, but also the operators of LV have gradually cultivated a unique vision and insight.

In 1997, the board of directors of LV decided to hire Mark Jacob, the representative of "fashion Minimalism".

He advocated the design concept and complex aristocratic style of design, actually in contradiction with LV's design concept.

But it is the brave decision of LV board that makes LV brand once again prove itself a symbol of social status.

Mark began to reform LV by using the philosophy of "start from scratch".

For example, he has a keen sense of fashion, and uses his imagination and creativity to add small metal decoration to traditional Monogram products.

With his help, "LV" has been remodeled into Paris's fashion image, which is familiar with urban life and travels all over the world.

The products of "LV" have attracted consumers from Chicago, Tokyo and other places. Its products include luxurious Red Imitation lamb skins, tight coats, double faced camel hair skirts and mink scarves.

Besides, it is necessary to introduce new advertisements to the luxury brands in the long run. This is the marketing law that LV recognized in the early 1870. Until today, all the luxury brands all over the world dare not defy this iron rule, from the Mediterranean coast to the the Atlantic shore, from the Cannes movie queen to the Hollywood actress, and from Transformers to the general mobilization of the sea.

In fact, LV was the pioneer of advertising for luxury brands. At that time, the newspaper industry in Paris was in the ascendant. The newspapers tried to seduce businessmen to advertise, but businessmen thought it would be worthless to spend so much money on advertising.

Interestingly, because newspapers were all literati at that time, advertisers in newspapers were basically literati. It was natural for writers like Hugo to pay their own money to advertise in newspapers.

Many years later, businessmen discovered the charm of advertising.

LV is a prescient. In 1880, LV continued to advertise in 50 newspapers and became the darling of the news media. In turn, the press pushed the "LV" brand. LV's popularity was not inferior to any news figure at that time.

Luxury shop windows are still the main marketing means of luxury brands in the contemporary era.

But few people know that this is also the pioneering work of LV. In 1875, the shop of LV set up gorgeous shop windows, full of luggage, and the whole of Paris was attracted. In front of his window, he could meet the upper class figures like royalty, nobility, politician, rich man and so on. They all came to appreciate what fashion is.

The flagship store of luxury brand is the trend of contemporary marketing, and the embryonic form of flagship store is also the pioneering spirit of LV.

In those days, the main rival of LV came from the British counterparts, not because the British did better than him, but many French noblemen thought that British goods were more foreign, which inspired LV to go to London to face the British ambitions.

Today, LV's flagship store in Paris, like an art museum, has become a monument to Paris's fashion and one of Paris's most attractive tourist attractions.

Many people can't afford to buy "LV" and have to visit here just to see what luxury is like.

From 80s to 90s of the last century, France's top brand industry has undergone a process of intense merger, integration and concentration. This period has created the leading brand leaders in France today, such as Bernard and Arnaud, a group of LV, which has made a batch of 100 year old family shops which have been baptized by the tide of mergers continue to maintain their traditional production and management styles, and are also fighting against the big groups in the international market.

Of course, in the ubiquitous economic globalization today, there are also some famous French brands or foreign investors involved or acquired by foreign enterprises, while LV group has put more famous foreign brands into their own business scope.

LV CEO Bernard Arnott manages dozens of luxury brands such as Moet and Chandon and Thomas Paink shirts, but 60% of the company's profits come from Louis Weedon's brand.

The challenge Arnott faces is how to replicate Louis Weedon's success.

Compared with other consumer goods industries, the brand building of the luxury goods industry is much more difficult.

You have to make people thirst for things that are not really needed.

Arnott, 58 years old, has been in the luxury industry 20 years ago.

At that time, Arnott, 35, used his family's funds and bank loans to buy the bzac group. This is a bankrupt French textile group. In 1946, he sponsored Christine Dio to set up the first fashion shop.

Arnott stripped off all the business of Dior, except for Dior, and bought a large number of shares of LVMH company through this company, and acquired LV, which merged with MOET & CHANDON Hennessy.

In the 90s of last century, he began to buy luxury brands that were more expensive than LVMH, including shirt makers Thomas Pink, Zhuo Mei jewelry, Fendi leather, Pucci and DonnaKaran fashion, Krug champagne and Heuer Watch.

Through the new mode of M & A, Arnott has given LV products a strong modern flavor.

At the same time, he also returned