Little did we know that the famous luxury brand has a Japanese past.

Aside from occasional collaborations with pop culture icons like Hatsune Miku, it is easy to believe that high-end French fashion label Louis Vuitton shares little in common with Japan. Yet according to some, its trademark flowery pattern could very well come from Japan.

▼ This instantly recognizable Monogram motif has an interesting history.

The origins of the Louis Vuitton symbol can be traced back to the Exposition Universelle in 1867, an international fair held in Paris that revealed Japanese art pieces to the rest of the world for the very first time.

Although Louis Vuitton employees were busy displaying their own company’s products, they also took interest in the simple Japanese family emblems called kamon produced by the Tokugawa and Shimazu clans. That key moment sparked the idea of combining elements of Japanese crest designs to fashion their own.

▼ “Didn’t Louis Vuitton make use of these crests?”
(Family crests on the left, Monogram motif on the right)

Usage of Japanese crests soon became a trend during the Victorian era, and in 1896 Louis Vuitton unveiled its signature Monogram pattern based on those logos. Originally meant as a way to prevent counterfeiting, the company’s design has long since become a mark of quality and excellence.

And, as numerous netizens and fashion companies have recently been proclaiming, also sharing deep roots with Japanese culture.

▼ “It is said that Louis Vuitton’s trademark monogram featuring stars
surrounded by circles came from Japanese kamon.”

▼ This was probably what happened. (Translation below)

https://twitter.com/juned0625/status/1083490731891744773

“People who make fun of the LV mark and saying that it looks like kamon are actually right. When Louis’s son saw the Japanese crests at the exhibition, he thought it was cool and used it for the Monogram.”

If Louis Vuitton’s most vaunted motif was indeed inspired by Japanese culture, then the world famous luxury brand and Japan have a lot more in common than many people think. Who knew that their recent collaboration using Final Fantasy characters as fashion models had a historical basis to it?

Source: Louis Vuitton, Rinkan, Japaaan, Jiburi, Wikipedia
Featured image: Twitter/@kimono_10
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