Louis Vuitton Malletier, typically referred to as Louis Vuitton or shortened to LV, is a French fashion home and high-end retail firm founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogrammed shows up on most of its items, ranging from high-end trunks and also leather items to ready-to-wear, footwear, watches, jewelry, accessories, sunglasses as well as publications. Louis Vuitton is among the globe's prominent global fashion homes; it offers its products with standalone stores, lease departments in premium department stores, and through the e-commerce area of its website. For 6 consecutive years (2006-- 2012), Louis Vuitton was called the globe's most important high-end brand. Its 2012 appraisal was US$ 25.9 billion. The 2013 valuation of the brand was US$ 28.4 billion with revenue of US$ 9.4 billion. The firm operates in 50 nations with greater than 460 shops worldwide.