Louis Vuitton introduced the Damier canvas in 1888. Its checkerboard pattern was designed to stop the imitations that had dogged the house's earlier coverings, and it carried the words 'marque L. Vuitton déposée', meaning registered trademark.
Vuitton's first trunks, from 1858, were covered in plain grey Trianon canvas. As copies spread, he introduced striped canvases in red and white (1872) and beige and brown (1876), and then the Damier. Christie's describes it as the checkerboard design now synonymous with the brand. Eight years later, in 1896, Georges Vuitton introduced the LV Monogram canvas in memory of his father, partly for the same reason.
The Damier is still in use, most familiar today as Damier Ebène, in light and dark brown, which Christie's notes is a popular choice for new collectors of the house's trunks. The pattern has also been the subject of trademark disputes: in 2021 the Japan Patent Office rejected a Louis Vuitton claim against products using the traditional ichimatsu check.