Louis Vuitton’s bags are some of the finest fashion accessories that money can buy, but why do they get sticky, and how you fix it when they do?
Louis Vuitton bags get sticky when the patent leather on the outer surfaces deteriorates and ages without maintenance. However, vintage Louis Vuitton bags got sticky inside too, because of a vinyl-like interior that became sticky when subjected to humidity or heat.
Read on to learn more about Louis Vuitton bags, why they’re so expensive, and how best to take care of them.
How to Become the Most Valuable Brand On Earth
Louis Vuitton is a remarkable luxury brand with one of the oldest origin stories around. It was founded almost two hundred years ago in Paris, France, and today, it is firmly established as one of the most valuable brands on Earth.
In fact, between 2006 and 2012, it was named the most valuable luxury brand in the world – an undisputed title for the fashion powerhouse. What started off as a luggage company specializing in leather trunks would ultimately become a leading, iconic name in global high fashion.
These days, Louis Vuitton’s mission is still relatively the same – it’s to supply consumers with high-quality leather goods. However, that range has expanded somewhat, and Louis Vuitton no longer sells just bags or luggage.
Although, when you’re looking for the most popular Louis Vuitton items, you needn’t go any further than the iconic LV handbags. Today’s Louis Vuitton bags found their feet in the early twentieth century and rapidly grew to become an industry-leading range.
By the 1930s, a Louis Vuitton handbag was a symbol of wealth and status among the world’s more elite female figures. The exponential growth in popularity came hand-in-hand with the uprising of Hollywood, fashion, and art.
It was in 1925 that the Louis Vuitton ‘Alma’ bag, a relatively modern design, was handcrafted for the legendary icon that was Coco Chanel. However, ten years later, this model was mass-produced and released for sale to the general public.
And so, the popularity story began.
It’s a Material World
In this consumer-driven world, it’s so important to have the latest and greatest fashions in your possession. Unfortunately, that fact means that you’ll need to be willing to part ways with a serious chunk of cash in order to obtain said fashions.
While Louis Vuitton’s bags are of the highest quality, and often considered unbeatable, they’re remarkably expensive. If you’re in the market for a brand new LV bag, you can expect to hand over at least two thousand dollars for an entry-level example.
At the highest end of the handbag spectrum, you’ll need to hand over tens of thousands of dollars. In fact, in 2008, Louis Vuitton released the ‘Urban Satchel’, a one-of-a-kind handbag that came with a $150,000 price tag.
But, when you’ve spent that much money on a handbag, you’ll need to keep it safe and well-maintained. What happens if you don’t?
Protecting the Purchase
Most Louis Vuitton bags are made from patent leather, which is real leather with a glossy layer applied to it. However, the biggest issue with patent leather is that over time, it can become sticky, should you not maintain it properly.
If a Louis Vuitton bag becomes old, worn, or is subject to a high level of heat or humidity, the outer surface of the bag can start to feel sticky to touch. To avoid this, the bag must be kept free from those risk areas, stored properly, and regularly cleaned.
Although, it isn’t just the exterior of the bag that you’ll need to pay special attention to.
There are still plenty of vintage Louis Vuitton bags on the market, and if they’re pre-1997, they’re at risk of becoming sticky inside the bag. This is because LV lined any handbags produced before this year with ‘Vuittonite’, a patented vinyl layer.
However, somewhat bizarrely, Louis Vuitton never formally recognized this as a manufacturing defect. While it stopped manufacturing bags with Vuittonite in 1997, it forever maintained that it wasn’t because the material was prone to developing a stickiness over time.
Today, all Louis Vuitton bags feature canvas or cotton interiors, removing the risk of them developing a stickiness. Although, it is still massively advised to take proper, effective care of your expensive Louis Vuitton handbag.
If you want to learn more about the leather Louis Vuitton uses in the construction of its bags, you can do so here.