Louis Vuitton founded his French leather-goods brand in 1854, and is known for the trunks he created. However, Vuitton didn’t start his career as a malletier (trunk maker) but rather as a packer. One of his first jobs in Paris was folding the clothes of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, to meticulously fit into her custom travel cases. It is fitting that once he started his brand, his focus was chests and trunks that could be easily stackable. And thus, the iconic Louis Vuitton trunk was born.
Unlike other brands that constantly change and alter past items, the Louis Vuitton trunk has remained the same for 150 years. From this trunk, Nicolas Ghesquière took inspiration to create the now house staple Louis Vuitton Petite Malle, which translates literally to “little trunk”. The bag quickly made its way into the hearts and arms of Louis Vuitton lovers around the world and is now a cornerstone item for the brand. Each season, it’s reimagined in different materials ranging from the classic monogram canvas to exotic skins.
Today I’m here to share the making of this bag, which is a very detailed process from start to finish. Most of each begin their journey to being made at the company’s workshop in Ducey, France and Louis Vuitton has a team of 30 people dedicated to the making of the Petite Malle alone. The beginning of each piece starts with woodwork and ends with the careful placement of the metallic screws and corners.
Each Petite Malle can require up to 200 operations, depending on the specific style and material. One of the major complexities lies in the fact that the Petite Malle is an identical miniature version of the classic, much larger sized Louis Vuitton trunk. This means each bag needs just as much attention and craftsmanship on a much smaller scale, so attention to detail and precision are of utmost importance.
Speaking of size, the Petite Malle is truly small, with overall dimensions of 7.9 x 4.9 x 1.9 inches. The gold-color hardware is an ode to the original Louis Vuitton trunk as well and there’s a removable, adjustable leather strap that has a minimum of 20″ and max of 22″ drop. This allows for the bag to be carried by hand as a clutch, or worn over the shoulder or cross-body for hands-free use. The exterior features a magnetic closure and the interior you’ll find a flat pocket. Prices range from $5,500 to $30,000 on LouisVuitton.com.
These are the steps, in order, to create the Petite Malle:
- Creation of the wooden box in poplar wood
- The interior is then lined with a thin protective and reinforcing cotton
- Internal dressing and malletage are added (malletage refers to the geometric embroidery pattern)
- Next, The Petite Malle is covered in the desired fabric
- Lozinage technique is used to bind the Malle along the edges
- Wooden slats are added to the exterior
- All metal finishings, including small latches and locks, are added by hand
- Leather flap and strap are assembled
I love Petit Malle and the work + craftsmanship that goes with it. It’s not an affordable bag, but I definitely am giving this to myself as my 40th birthday present. LV, whether one likes them or not, is commendable for their efforts on making hand sanitizers and face masks for medical personnel. While some people will complain about their price increases, I don’t see it as a problem as LVMH didn’t take government bailout money to keep their employees on payroll.
I notice 2 LV blog posts trying to shine a positive spin on them since the highly criticized post on their price increase on purseblog. Neither the throwback or how they meticulously craft their overpriced bags can neutralize the bad taste left in my frontline care provider mouth from an ill priced price hike. Looks like PB is feeling the pressure of posting an honest critique of LV and how the readership feels about the brand?
Our editorial calendar is planned in advanced, and we have been covering the history of bags/making of bags during this time. The LV price increase happened to coincide in a week when we had planned a Throwbag Thursday post as well as this making of the Petite Malle. We have full editorial control over what we decide to post and as always, if a post is sponsored by a brand, we always mark it as such!
I always want to cover what’s happening with brands, from new releases to price increases to bags I like to honest reviews. Brands rarely mention anything when it comes to its price hikes, and sometimes I think it would behoove them to tell us why there is a price increase. Not that it would make it *better*, but at least some sort of explanation or reasoning. And while brands like LV and Chanel have kept their employees employed during this time without government assistance (which I think is commendable), I totally understand why consumers feel enraged over being stuck with the price increase to seemingly make up for loses.
Most importantly, thank you for all you have done by working on the frontline during this time. We are all so lucky and thankful to have people like you taking care of all of us during this pandemic.
Great reply Megs, your transparency is greatly appreciated. I think the work you do is made extremely difficult at a time like this when very few people are thinking about ‘material possessions’ but many, many lively hoods depend on the fashion industry too. Shareholders may not be important but workers are. Everyone needs to earn a income.
We’ve tried to find a way to continue on by bringing you content, but shifting the overall message from just pushing to sell to talking about history of bags and a look back at others. I know that material possessions are not at all the most important, but it’s an industry that many rely on for their livelihoods – plus, I think and hope what we offer is an outlet from the daily stress we all experience and feel!
Why read PURSE BLOG if you hate it ahahhah i dont get it! Dont apologize Mel
I agree 100%! Does LV have some expertly crafted pieces? Absolutely. However that doesn’t make up for the MANY other bags that are not crafted well. They are made for minimum wage on assembly lines in Texas. Yet we are charged like they are all crafted like the petit Malle. LV is just offering a false sense of luxury craftsmanship.
I have the original monogram version and it might be my favorite out of all of my bags. It’s definitely not the most functional, given the small interior space (having to cram in my personal and work phones can be difficult…), but it is truly beautiful and a work of art. (It’s also quite scratch resistant, so at least there’s that going for it in terms of functionality…)
I like these kinds of posts.
I remember at an LV boutique that they were showing a video of the making of a trunk. My son and I were very impressed with the meticulous craftsmanship. I’m not a Louis Vuitton fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the video.
Would LOVE to own one but can’t afford it.
Honestly, this is the only LV bag I covet, but alas, it will not be mine.