Louis Vuitton inaugurates 16th workshop in France at Beaulieu-sur-Layon in Maine-et-Loire region
Fashion & Leather Goods
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© Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton inaugurated its 16th workshop in France on September 5th. Located in Beaulieu-sur-Layon in the Maine-et-Loire region in western France, the workshop’s sober elegance reflects the Maison’s exacting standards of exquisite craftsmanship. The building has been designed for optimal energy consumption with acoustic treatment to minimize noise.
Louis Vuitton counts 24 workshops around the world including 16 in France with the opening of the Atelier de Beaulieu-sur-Layon, which will make leather goods, accessories and components. The new workshop was inaugurated on September 5 by Michael Burke, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Louis Vuitton, Muriel Pénicaud, French Labor Minister, and Christelle Morançais, President of the Pays de la Loire regional council. The 6,000-square-meter site is gracefully integrated in the surrounding landscape and was built by contractors from the region.
The Beaulieu-sur-Layon workshop reflects Louis Vuitton’s continued momentum of job creation and transmission of its unique expertise thanks to its École des Savoir-Faire training academy. Created in 2010, the academy enables Louis Vuitton leather goods artisans to enhance their skills throughout their careers. It also welcomes students earning vocational degrees in leather goods craftsmanship from the LVMH Institut des Métiers d’Excellence within the scope of a work-study program.
There are currently 135 employees at the Beaulieu-sur-Layon workshop, including 110 leather artisans and three apprentices. The site will continue to welcome, train and develop new talents and is expected to reach a headcount of 200 people by the end of 2019, ultimately rising to 300 employees.
The workshop will specialize in four leather goods items – the Néo Noé, Mini Boîte Chapeau, My Lock Me BB and the Trunk Clutch – ensuring rigorous quality controls at every step in the production process. After inspecting materials when they arrive at the workshop, the artisans cut and prepare the different parts of the bags, executing signature Louis Vuitton craft processes such as paring, splitting, edge dyeing and embossing. The bags are assembled with sewing machines before quality inspection of the finished product.
The Atelier de Beaulieu-sur-Layon boosts Louis Vuitton’s production capacity to meet demand from customers while offering a quality workplace for employees and respecting the environment.