LOZINE LOUIS VUITTON. PROTECTIVE MATERIAL FOR TRUNK

Lozine , this word probably means nothing to you, or you can't find any information about it, often mistakenly confused with leather. Just like " Vuittonite ", lozine is a name invented by Louis Vuitton for Louis Vuitton luggage which designates the protections on the borders and the belt.  

Definition Louis Vuitton Catalog of 1914: 

Lozine  : Special material based on wood, more resistant than iron and having, in addition, the advantage of being lighter and stainless. 

Lozine  : ( feminine name ) traditionally lozine designates a  vulcanized fiber border , it is a material obtained by stratification of cotton fiber and/or cellulose , after passing through a bath of zinc chloride and sulfuric acid. The fluid is extracted by pressing, which makes it possible to bind the different fibers together without adding binder.

This material is therefore plastic-free although it is perfectly  waterproof,  heat- resistant  , electrically insulating, can be embossed (for decorative inscriptions), and tinted during its manufacture, its porous surface can also be painted. This plastic-  free material  thus has exceptional aging over time.

Some luggage called Marmotte will be made entirely of lozine for sales reps.

The vulcanized fiber that Louis Vuitton calls Lozine  was not invented by Louis Vuitton , it was used at the time by many trunk makers and manufacturers of marmots and light luggage. However, Louis-Vuitton is one of the few to continue to use it even today in the manufacture of its high-end suitcases.

The vulcanized fiber that Louis Vuitton calls Lozine  was not invented by Louis Vuitton , it was used at the time by many trunk makers and manufacturers of marmots and light luggage. However, Louis-Vuitton is one of the few to continue to use it even today in the manufacture of its high-end suitcases.

Louis Vuitton never made a wedge in lozine, but many period trunk makers like Goyard or Moynat produced them. reduce the weight and manufacturing cost of their luggage while having a contemporary design.

From this name comes the verb, always invented by Louis Vuitton.

Loziner  : Make luggage waterproof by nailing borders with a succession of brass spikes, matted inside the luggage (as if riveted) in order to secure the borders and the canvas so that the luggage is perfectly waterproof.

• Series 5 - Lower : low end
• Series 4 - Moorish : mid-range
• Series 3 - Upper Moorish : mid-range

Before 1914, these 3 series were in steel edge.

• Series 1 - Top of the range before 1914

Cowhide trim

• Vuittonite Series

Luggage covered in colored vuittonite canvas, leather trim and corners.

Louis Vuitton automobile trunks have no lozine .

From 1914, the lozine replaced the leather and steel borders, so now it is the color of the border that indicates the quality of the trunk.  

If the first "lozines" are tinted in the mass , available in 3 colors with variances of tints according to the times, the decorative nets and the Louis Vuitton logo were stamped in the surface and tinted in order to bring out this embossing .

Only the yellow and orange Vuittonite range will remain on the leather border (known as VVN: Natural Vegetable Tanned Cow) a color very close to yellow and orange.

Without Louis Vuitton logo, only nets.

Trunks in other colors (red, brown, black, green, etc.) will be on the lozine border.

• Series 1 - Clear Lozine (Yellow) : Top of the range after 1914  

• Series 2 - Dark Lozine (Black) : Mid-range after 1914 

• Series 2 - Dark Lozine (Brown) : Mid-range after 1914

On most brown lozines the inscriptions are in dark red.

While the nets and the logo were embedded in the lozine, the more the years pass the less the encrustation is deep.

From 1930 the logo and the nets are screen printed on the lozine .

From the introduction of the monogram Pvc canvas in 1959 the lozine is painted in brown on a red lozine , the logo screen-printed in dark brown on the paint.

This painted lozine process is still used today and makes the lozine more fragile. 

At the end of the 1970s, the color of the lozine and its paint changed and became less "red", the logo painted black for more contrast. The print quality on the painting is of better definition .

While initially the lozine (feminine name) designated a material, now  " the loziné " (masculine name) designates any suitcase , rigid trunk with a lozine edge, as opposed to the " le stratos " range, a range of semi-flexible luggage, or semi-rigid, made of cardboard and canvas. 

Extract from the 1983 Louis Vuitton catalog : The rigid "le loziné" series designates any suitcase with a socket (or protective strips) on all edges, corners, buckles, locks and all copper fittings. Throat protection lock.

From 1985,  when the Epi range  was launched, real leather trimmings made a big comeback.

The Epi range is mainly developed for bags and rigid suitcases (Président, Vanity ), very few trunks have been made in Epi leather.

The edges of rigid luggage were then associated with the color of Epi leather.

Taiga leather luggage is sewn in the corners, so without leather lining.

Therefore we speak of  lozinage regardless of the material of the border.

• Lozine cowhide leather
• Lozine (= lozine)

In 2002 While only leather-covered luggage had leather trim, this is a big change at Louis Vuitton. Marc Jacobs collaborates with Takashi Murakami and launches the Monogram multicolored White and Multicolored Black, these coated canvas luggage will be lozinated with VVN (beige) cowhide leather. 

Wardrobe murakami for bag

Will follow in 2006 the Damier Azur edition

These borders in VVN (Natural Vegetable Cow) are the same as those used at the beginning of the last century on the trunks series 1 - top of the range, then on the Louis Vuitton bags (still used today) they acquire a patina over the years until to take on a caramel patina.

In 2008 the Damier graphite, dedicated to men will be launched and the luggage will be trimmed with black cowhide leather , nickel-plated jewelry.

In 2017 , the  Louis Vuitton x Supreme collaboration will turn heads for a new generation and break auction room records . Trunk covered with the exclusive LV Supreme Monogram canvas, corners, lock, brass clasps treated with palladium. Red leather lozine .

In 2022 new leather lozine mail trunk

Mail trunk Lozine 110 - M30633

Taigarama Monogram canvas

White cowhide lozinated border

Mail trunk Lozine 110 - M30633

Monogram Eclipse canvas  

Lozinated border in black cowhide leather

Today leather lozines cohabit with historic lozine borders , the latter being reserved for Monogram and historic checkerboard fabrics.

The Lozine is today an exclusive Louis Vuitton product, it is not possible to buy it in stores. 

LOUIS VUITTON LOCK MODEL BETWEEN 1854 AND 2022

Article dedicated to old trunk locks, Louis Vuitton. We try to reference the main ones. There are dozens of different models we present the most common.