This Week in Refinement
Elegance defined in every detail.
Today we start with the founder of the most luxurious brand in the world, Louis Vuitton himself.
Refined Perspectives
What did we learn this week?
That luxury, according to the creator of Louis Vuitton, should above all be functional.
That you can try any strategy, but if your product isn’t truly excellent, nothing will succeed.
That luxury and building something to last for centuries can be studied from existing brands, even while working for them.
Mind Behind the Brand
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton founded Louis Vuitton, yes really, in 1854 in Paris. But his story was not fashion, it was obsession, precision, and survival.
He started as an apprentice packer, literally handling luggage for the aristocracy. For 17 years he learned how people traveled, what ruined their trunks, what bent, what smelled bad. From that he created luxury engineering, not aesthetics, but function elevated to art.
In 1854 he opened his first store on Rue Neuve-des-Capucines. His first product was a flat-top travel trunk. It sounds simple, but trunks were rounded then so water ran off them. Vuitton’s flat design allowed stacking, logistics as luxury.
When he died in 1892 he left not a fashion brand, but a mindset, prestige through functionality. His son Georges added the LV monogram to protect against counterfeits, essentially inventing premium branding before marketing was even a profession.
What made Louis Vuitton famous was the quality. We don’t do marketing; we just create products which are exceptional in their design and craftsmanship.
Refined Rewind
Louis Vuitton, the real story
Child from a broken home. His mother died when he was ten and his stepmother did not care for him. At thirteen he literally ran away on foot, not by car or bus, from his village Anchay to Paris, 400 kilometers, working along the way to survive.
During this time he developed his obsession with durability. For him, the strength of an object was about survival, not style.
In Paris he joined the workshop of Monsieur Maréchal, a top trunk-maker, and eventually became the personal designer of luggage for Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. The boy from nothing, with no name, working in smoke and wood, became the man who defined luxury luggage at the imperial court.
A final gem: in his will he wrote, “Luxury must be useful.” Not beautiful, not exclusive, useful. This explains the Louis Vuitton paradox, practicality disguised as prestige.
Refined Lessons
What can we learn from this?
Craft over logo
Luxury starts with craft, not a logo. Vuitton didn’t invent prestige, he earned it. Before building a premium brand, build a product that stands on its own, without advertising or storytelling.
Trauma fuels precision
Running away, poverty, loneliness, he turned chaos into method. Every trunk reflected his own life: structured, resilient, enduring.
Function is elegance
Functionality is the highest form of elegance. Every line, every clasp had a purpose. True design doesn’t need decoration.
Observe, don’t imitate
Learn from the elite, but don’t imitate them. He observed aristocrats like a scientist, meeting needs they didn’t even know they had.
System over brand
Leave a system, not just a brand. Vuitton built a foundation; his son and grandson created an empire. A lasting brand requires systemic thinking, not seasonal trends.
Join the Movement
Let us know
What do you think about the founder of Louis Vuitton? Did you learn anything from this email?
Send us a DM on Instagram or simply reply to this email. Your thoughts help us grow.
That’s it for now
Thank you for reading. I hope the story was interesting and thought-provoking.
Wishing you a great and productive day.
Michał, Refined Money.
P.S. If you haven’t read previous editions of the newsletter, visit our website to see all past emails.
