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