Discerning Birmingham globe-trotters will soon be jetting off in style as A-list accessories label Louis Vuitton opens a flagship store in the city.
 The legendary brand is bringing its range of luxury monogrammed travel and fashion extras to the heart of Birmingham, at the leafy end of Temple Street to be exact. The company was founded in 1854 when entrepreneurial trunk maker Vuitton sensed that travel was about to revolutionise the world. His highly-crafted canvas and leather cases soon became the must-have accessories of the Paris elite.
 Part of Vuitton's celebrity appeal lies in its ability to create bespoke accessories for those who don't need to ask how much. This was put to the test in 1910 when an eccentric woman leaving for Iran wanted to take with her a completely portable Tilbury carriage to be assembled on arrival. Vuitton designed special trunks for each of the parts, and canvas and leather covers for the wheels. In 2000, Sharon Stone designed her own special vanity case, covered in red Morocco leather and containing a mini-dressing table and more than a dozen lined jewellery compartments. Recent additions include one-off, highly collectable items by leading artists and fashion designers, including the talents of young British artist Julie Verhoeven who launched a collection inspired by fable on a patchwork theme. Branching into the world of fashion in 1998, Louis Vuitton employed avant garde New York designer Marc Jacobs as its artistic director to oversee the launch of shoes, clothing and jewellery. Jacobs' take on Vuitton combines all the House essentials; innovation, quality and a tradition of luxury. The company's shoe workshop opened in 2000 in the Italian region of Veneto, an area with a strong fashion bent, and a collection of watches called the Tambour range was launched in 2002. These are made in the company's own workshop in the Swiss town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, a town with a long history of watchmaking. September 2002 saw Louis Vuitton open its first outlet in Tokyo, and was mobbed by more than half a million customers in its first six months. The Manhattan store, which opened earlier this year on Fifth Avenue, covers a staggering 1,200 square meters of floor space. Louis Vuitton's eagerly-awaited Birmingham boutique will be one of 300 worldwide, each controlled by the company's strict identical aesthetic codes maintained by its own architectural agency. Each outlet reflects its local environment, but all share the now instantly recognisable brand identity. Inside and outside, both are treated with that unique savoir-faire of Louis Vuitton. | 
