The Case of Colonialism in Louis Vuitton’s ‘Brazza Wallet’
Photo by Elton Yung on Unsplash
Photo par Elton Yung sur Unsplash
Christina Tadros
(FR) L’affluence des pays occidentaux lors du 19e siècle était considérablement le résultat de l’exploitation des ressources naturelles de leurs colonies. La maison de luxe Louis Vuitton (LV) a, pour exemple, bénéficié d’un pic de croissance lors de la présence coloniale française en Afrique. Cet article propose une analyse en profondeur de la collection actuelle de LV, et de la relation de celle-ci au passé colonial de la maison. En 2018, Virgil Abloh — le designer américain et PDF de la célèbre marque de streetwear de luxe Off-White — a été nommé Directeur Artistique pour la collection masculine de LV. Abloh créa alors parmi la collection masculine SS’ 19 le portefeuille « Brazza » qui rend hommage aux anciennes ambitions coloniales françaises. En effet, le design de celui-ci est basé sur un lit de coffre créé par Louis Vuitton lui-même pour le colonialiste français Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza lors de sa conquête du Congo au 19e siècle. La liaison entre cette collection et le passé colonial de la marque est nié par LV.
The luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton has always taken pride in its theme of travel, however many consumers turn a blind eye to the brand’s colonial past. Specifically, the Brazza wallet, produced by Virgil Abloh in his SS19 men’s collection for Louis Vuitton, pays homage to the brand’s colonial past, therefore dismissing the cultural and political ramifications behind Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza’s conquest of Congo in the 19th century (Figure 1).
I will analyze this dismissal by examining author Linda Tuhiwai Smith’s definitions of imperialism and colonialism, exploring the French colonization of the Congo, and discussing the Brazza wallet’s reproduction of an original LV trunk, which aided in French imperialism.
Linda Tuhiwai Smith is the author of Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples, which examines the role of Western discourse in regard to the colonization of Indigenous cultures. Smith claims that “the talk” regarding colonial history is rooted in “our political discourses, our humour, poetry, music, storytelling and other common-sense ways of passing on both a narrative of history and an attitude about history.”[1] However, Indigenous knowledge, language, and culture has been misrepresented and ridiculed in these popular and academic discourses.[2] Europeans have held political ascendancy over the regions they colonized for centuries; imperialism bolstered an extensive lineup of colonizers and settlers which has, in turn, left a permanent wound on the imperialized communities.[3] Smith argues that imperialism and colonialism go hand in hand, and defines imperialism as the culmination of various factors, such as the means of economic expansion, the subjection of “others,” and a discursive field of knowledge.[4] The English social scientist and economist, J.A. Hobson deemed 19th-century European imperialism as a principle component in European economic expansion. Imperialism was the emplaced system of control which allowed markets and capital investments to be secured. Colonialism facilitated this economic expansion, of which the subjugation of Indigenous populations was an inseparable part.[5] As a result, imperialism bred a series of oppressive systemic classifications, such as racial hierarchies that continue to shape the relationship between Indigenous societies and imperial powers.
Louis Vuitton made Virgil Abloh the brand’s artistic director in 2018, and Abloh proceeded to lead the menswear ready-to-wear line. Abloh released a new design for a hand wallet called the Brazza wallet for the LV SS19 men’s collection.[6] The Brazza wallet, which costs a staggering $915, is a foldable leather wallet with dimensions that mimic a passport.[7] Printed on the wallet is the signature classic Louis Vuitton pattern, mixed with the bright orange hinges symbolic of Abloh and his streetwear style.[8] Importantly, the name “Brazza” pays homage to the French-Italian colonizer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, who used Louis Vuitton products in the early 20th century to aid in his conquests, specifically in the Congo.
Louis Vuitton Malletier, more commonly known as Louis Vuitton or the acronym LV, is a luxury retail fashion house that was founded in the mid-19th century by its namesake, Louis Vuitton. The products are distinguishable by their LV monogram, which appears on their wallets, trunks, bands, and other ready-to-wear items. From 2006 - 2012, Louis Vuitton was recognized as the most valuable luxury brand in the world, with a value of $39.3 billion.[9] Furthermore, the brand has over 460 worldwide stores, operating in 50 countries around the globe. Curators of the brand describe Louis Vuitton to be about “travel,” about “bringing something with you in your trunk, in your bag, ... following the story of motion through trains, boats, planes, but also traveling in dreams, in art.”[10] However, the brand is about more than just travel; LV gained its recognition and status due to France’s colonial conquest during the 19th century, as French colonizers would use LV’s trunks while pillaging African countries.[11] LV created its reputation during French imperialism by way of the durability of its products. In fact, LV advertisements from the 19th century are indicative of the company’s goals during the colonization of Africa (Figure 2).
The spirit of colonization and an air of superiority, in this sense, are deeply embedded in the brand, and furthered by its niche market; a small group of people are able to afford these products. French rule and colonial expansion in Africa started in the 17th century and was fully implemented by the 19th century. In 1830, the invasion of the Ottoman Aligers led to the colonization of Africa through the establishments of protectorates during the so-called “scramble for Africa.” The French colonization began in 1880, when the Congo River in the northern region transformed into a French protectorate due to France’s “civilizing mission” over the Indigenous Bateke population of the Congo.
Brazza’s strategic colonization of the complete right bank of the Congo made way for the rest of the French colonies in Central Africa. France pillaged the Congo’s vast amount of cotton, teas, minerals, ivory, rubber, and coffee, as well as natural resources such as minerals, ivory, and diamonds in the area in order to successfully bolster its economy.[12] In this regard, not only did French wealth come from the exploitation of the Congo and other colonies in Africa, but Louis Vuitton’s economic boom did as well, as the brand supported these colonizers in their invasions and reaped their benefits. Therefore, LV’s status was purely curated around French ideals of imperialism during the 19th century.
In 2017, Louis Vuitton established exhibitions in major cities, such as New York and Dubai, where they displayed the foundation, history, and evolution of the brand. A portion of the exhibition was dedicated to delineating French travels to Africa during France’s colonization of Africa in the 19th century. This portion of the exhibition showcased the LV suitcases that were made in France for the French colonizers, alongside the “Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza’s Trunk Bed” (Figure 3).[13]
However, the exhibition used different language to refer to the colonization process, calling the colonizers “voyagers” and “explorers,” for example. The Brazza Wallet was similar in size and design to the suitcases displayed in the exhibition, clearly showcasing that the wallet was inspired by these “voyages.” While the designer’s intention may have been to honor the colonization of Africa by France, in naming the product after the colonizer himself and modelling it after the original LV products used to aid him and his fellow colonizers, the Brazza Wallet nonetheless honors the colonizer and his mission.
The irony in the Abloh’s production of the Brazza Wallet is that Abloh, himself, is African American. Although his parents are from Ghana, rather than the Congo, Ghana was under similar colonial rule during the 20th century by the British.[14] Considering Abloh’s ancestry, it is curious that he chose to give the wallet this name, seeing as he would likely be aware of the political implications behind it. The wallet encompasses the colonial past of the brand despite it having no disclaimers or recognition of the effects of colonialism in Africa during the 20th century.
Virgil Abloh’s Brazza Wallet pays tribute to the colonialist Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza’s original “Bed Trunk.” I have identified the colonial context surrounding Louis Vuitton’s product through Smith’s definition of imperialism, which focuses on the exploitation and subjugation of Indigenous people and the Brazza Wallet’s similar characteristics to a passport, which reference Louis Vuittion’s theme of travel, as well as its colonial history. The worldwide exhibition showcased around the world in 2017 illuminated the brand’s colonial foundation, which is now blindly appropriated by the designers, curators, and consumers of the brand.