Students boarded the overnight train in Milan for the next stop on their Luxury Goods Industry course tour: the French capital. The class is pictured here with Prof. Martin Sneider inside Coco Chanel’s apartment above her first boutique on the Rue Cambon.

Alison Guttridge, BSBA’15 sent this postcard from Paris with details of their their first day in the fashion mecca.

The first item on our three-day agenda in Paris was visiting Louis Vuitton’s global flagship store, which consisted of five perfectly manicured stories that featured everything Louis Vuitton has to offer.

Each design element in the store had a distinct purpose, from the way the store itself was designed in a generous and gradual spiral to mimic the feel of a Chinese rice plantation (significant because Chinese customers make up about 40% of LV’s business), to the brass design of the walls that resembles the emblematic floral elements of their classic design.

On the inside, two towers of red Louis Vuitton trunks stand on either side of the rectangular door to create the number “101,” the store’s address on the famous Champs Élysées.  The store itself is located only a few blocks away from the Arc de Triomphe.

One special highlight of our store visit included spending time in a room usually only open to guests who customize their own Louis Vuitton handbag.  A Louis Vuitton trunk in the room opened up to reveal the many different possible choices the customer has in designing their bag, from the type and color of skin used to the interior fabric and color.  These bags were said to start at around $2,500 and can quickly become astronomically expensive depending on the materials are used.

This store also contained a fun and interesting section of books related to the fashion industry, all available for purchase.  After our store visit, we enjoyed a presentation from Louis Vuitton executives that detailed important information about their company, consumer base, product offerings, financial performance, and market strategy.  The passion that these men and women showed for their company and for the luxury goods industry was inspiring.

Every student walked away from the meeting with a new found appreciation for the world of luxury goods and the commitment to excellence that inspires these businesspeople to dedicate themselves fully to the betterment of Louis Vuitton.

The remainder of this first day in Paris was ours to explore the breathtaking city.  Some chose to remain on the Champs Élysées for some excellent shopping, while a few others and I visited the Tuileries Gardens in front of the Louvre Museum and then made our way over to the Eiffel Tower, somehow finding the strength within us to climb all the way to the top.

I am in awe of all that Paris has to offer, from tranquil gardens and parks to a bustling city center, and all of the history that speaks for itself on every street and in every piece of architecture.

Seeing where these luxury goods companies and brands were founded and interacting with the brand in its purest form made our learning experience all the more enriching and tangible.