A flat lid is not a glamorous opening to a story. It becomes more interesting when several trunks have to travel together. Stackability asks the maker to think beyond the individual object: the corners, the frame and the other luggage all enter the design. Louis Vuitton’s trunk is a handsome reminder that a practical decision can acquire an entire visual language.
The house’s heritage account follows its development from trunk-making into softer travel goods. The locks, protective edges and organized interior are worth looking at before discussing what might be painted on the outside. The Keepall takes the travel proposition in a more yielding direction; Rimowa’s aluminum suitcase gives the protective shell another vocabulary.
The workshops and shops around Paris connect this history to working skills. Repair specialists know that an object designed to endure must also be understood in pieces. That is the pleasure of the trunk for me: a broad silhouette from a distance, and a succession of quite specific decisions when you come closer.