| The dark brown and beige designed leather, signature | | | | merged with Moe Hennessy in 1987 (now known as |
| of the Louis Vuitton handbags and luggage, frequent | | | | LVMH), the company still prides itself on this same |
| the pages of fashion magazines and celebrity pictures. | | | | reputation. The Louis Vuitton brand has grown |
| Louis Vuitton handbags are revered for their | | | | considerably since its original store in Paris, opened in |
| excellence in craftsmanship, exquisite leather or other | | | | 1855. Today there are stores around the world, selling |
| material, and elegant design. Louis Vuitton bags are | | | | much more than handbags and luggage. Marc Jacobs |
| also revered because, for the majority of the world, an | | | | joined the company as Artistic Director in 1996, |
| authentic Louis bag is unattainable. | | | | creating fashion lines for both men and women. These |
| For this reason, a major organized crime market has | | | | patterns are now brought to life in workshops in |
| taken off in the recent years, selling fake Louis Vuitton | | | | France, Italy, and Scotland. The Louis Vuitton name can |
| handbags on the streets of cities, or worse, from the | | | | also be found on watches, shoes, eyewear, and other |
| trunk of cars. These faux Louis Vuitton handbags and | | | | accessories. |
| accessories are never made from the same quality as | | | | Handbags are still their most popular, and most |
| the real thing: whereas the real bags are designed and | | | | identified pieces. This popularity, and the unattainable |
| fashioned in workshops by the hands of craftsmen, | | | | aspect of them led to the creation of the underground |
| the knock-offs are frequently made in sweatshops, | | | | world of knock off Louis Vuitton handbags. Now you |
| potentially with children managing the machines. It's an | | | | can carry around the Louis Vuitton label for a fraction |
| undercover business, and the ones who profit from it | | | | of its typical thousand dollar price tag. Your purse, |
| want the process to be as inexpensive as possible. | | | | however, will most likely not fool very many people. In |
| At the Louis Vuitton workshops, however, craftsmen | | | | addition, you will be supporting an illegal activity. Honest |
| can take their time to create a beautiful and sturdy | | | | taxpayers have to shoulder the burden of taxes |
| piece; this time and skill goes into the price tag. Louis | | | | unpaid by smugglers and sellers of knock-offs, |
| Vuitton, born in 1821, based his company on skill and | | | | approximately $200 billion. |
| producing elegant handbags. After the company | | | | |
