Louis Vuitton was founded in 1854 as a maker of travel trunks. Its first patterned canvas was the Damier check of 1888, which carried the words "marque L. Vuitton déposée", meaning "L. Vuitton registered trademark", as a defence against copying.
In 1896 Georges Vuitton, the founder's son, introduced the Monogram canvas in memory of his father. It pairs the interlaced LV initials with flower and star motifs. Sotheby's says it was this design that truly cemented the brand's identity.
The Monogram has covered Louis Vuitton trunks and luggage ever since. From the 1930s it was also used on soft bags such as the Keepall, Speedy and Noé, and later on the Neverfull. It has been reinterpreted in many editions, including Stephen Sprouse's graffiti, Takashi Murakami's Multicolore and Yayoi Kusama's dots, and the 2017 Supreme collaboration.