Louis Vuitton has unveiled a custom made trunk to hold the trophy for the 2026 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, combining its signature Monogram canvas, a Damier pattern and a large tricolour V, together with a new detail called the Victory patch, linking the house’s travel heritage to Formula 1.
A trunk built for the Italian Grand Prix
The Louis Vuitton Trophy Trunk for Monza was made to hold Fragile, the official trophy of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, the thirteenth round of the season, held at Monza from 4 to 6 September on the circuit’s 5.793 km layout, one of the oldest and most storied on the calendar.
Louis Vuitton is an official partner of Formula 1 and produces a purpose built trunk for each Grand Prix trophy. Every design starts from the same function, protecting and presenting the prize, but develops graphics tied to the host city and the identity of that race. For Monza, the brief called for a language built around speed, Italian tradition and circuit culture, expressed through geometric marks and colour rather than a literal depiction of a car or mechanical parts.
A tricolour V across Monogram and Damier
The trunk is built on Louis Vuitton’s classic Monogram canvas. Its panels feature a large V, referencing both Victory and Vuitton, rendered in green, white and red to mark the Italian Grand Prix specifically.
The inner edge of the V incorporates a black and white Damier pattern, its alternating squares evoking a chequered flag and adding a sense of motion to the design. Together, the Monogram canvas carries the house’s historic identity, the Damier motif draws on its archive with a racing inflection, and the tricolour locates the piece firmly at Monza.
A Victory patch marks the winner
The Monza trunk also introduces the Victory patch, a new element for Louis Vuitton’s Formula 1 trunks. Shaped like the travel labels once attached to luggage on long journeys, the patch is engraved with the winning driver’s initials, turning the trunk from a ceremonial container into an object tied to a specific result, with date, race and champion all captured in a lasting physical detail.
The trophy inside: Fragile
The trunk houses Fragile, the official trophy of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, created by artistic duo vedovamazzei, made up of Simeone Crispino and Stella Scala, and commissioned by Pirelli together with Pirelli HangarBicocca. The piece stacks cups and small bowls into a vertical structure with a visually unstable balance, giving everyday domestic objects a new role and playing on the tension between apparent fragility and sporting achievement.
Made in Asnières, where trunk making began
The trunk was built at Louis Vuitton’s historic Asnières-sur-Seine atelier on the outskirts of Paris, the house’s centre for special production and for the handcraft skills needed to adapt structure, lining and interior fittings to the exact dimensions of each object being transported. Every element, from hinges to panels and closing systems, is built specifically around the size and shape of Fragile.
A connection to the automobile dating back to 1897
Louis Vuitton’s relationship with car culture predates Formula 1 by more than a century. In 1897, Georges Vuitton, son of the house’s founder, designed the first trunks made specifically for automobiles, responding to a new form of transport that was reshaping travel habits and geography.
To withstand exposure to the elements, the house developed Vuittonite, a durable canvas that replaced leather in several applications, an early example of luggage design evolving alongside the vehicles it was built to travel with.
Monza and the meeting of luxury and speed
The Italian Grand Prix holds a distinctive place on the calendar. The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, opened in 1922, combines high speed straights, hard braking zones and a historic atmosphere that has drawn generations of fans. The 2026 grid features 22 drivers and 11 teams, including the arrival of Audi and Cadillac.
Formula 1 as a platform for contemporary luxury
Louis Vuitton’s involvement is part of the wider global partnership between LVMH and Formula 1, announced in October 2024, connecting the championship with an international audience at the intersection of sport, fashion, entertainment and visual culture.
Louis Vuitton previously worked with the Automobile Club de Monaco on Trophy Trunks for that Grand Prix between 2021 and 2024, and returns to the format for Monza in 2026. The house’s experience in sport also extends to football, rugby, tennis, basketball, sailing and other major international events.
