In luxury, 'maison' is a special word. It refers, on one hand, to a business founded by an individual, then carried on by subsequent generations. History, heritage and a continuous line of transmission that suggests not merely a brand, but an entity that lasts and stands for something. On the other hand, and just as often, a maison French for 'house-can be literal. As in a family home or headquarters that can be thought of as a geographical heart.
It's certainly the case for Louis Vuitton, founded in 1854 as, first and foremost, a maker of high-end steamer trunks.
The literal house in question is located in Asnières-sur-Seine, a suburb northwest of central Paris. It's here that founder Louis Vuitton set up a family home and trunk-making workshop that honed the brand's savoir-faire and expertise. It was, until the late 1980s, a private home to generations of the Vuitton family. Today, the historic address houses a museum and a small atelier that continues to produce special-order creations.
A little farther afield in Geneva, Switzerland is a different kind of home for Louis Vuitton. In the Meyrin municipality lies La Fabrique du Temps, or factory of time, the cutting-edge facility that is the epicentre of the brand's watchmaking operations. If Asnières is the historic and symbolic home, think of La Fabrique du Temps as a younger beating heart.
La Fabrique du Temps was founded in 2007 by master watchmakers Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini as a highconcept laboratory of complicated watchmaking. Vuitton acquired it in 2011, imbued it with its name and just a decade ago opened the doors to the manufacture in Meyrin. It's no understatement to say that the brand has made incredible leaps in its horological story.
Since Navas and Barbasini were brought into the fold, it has staked a claim in utterly novel and unusual complications.
This story is from the November 2024 edition of Vogue Singapore.
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This story is from the November 2024 edition of Vogue Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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