Bruno Aveillan’s new exhibition in Paris is a poetic exploration of travel, chance encounters and the stories told by his suitcase. "This is as anti-AI as it gets," he said.

PARIS – Louis Vuitton luggage has long traveled to far-flung places. Whether accompanying explorers or celebrities on their world travels, its trunks and suitcases are built for the journey.

But rarely has a suitcase been put through its paces like Bruno Aveillan’s trusty Alzer 75. The French photographer and director has been inseparable from the monogrammed suitcase for the last 13 years, lugging it from the steamy Amazon jungle to the confines of the North Pole.

Eventually it stopped being an accessory and became part of the story. Aveillan started photographing the suitcase wherever he went, propping it against trains, rickshaws and barges, resting it in grass dunes and deserts, and exposing it to all manner of wildlife.

“I never set out with a preconceived idea,” he told WWD. “Once I’m there, either something happens, or it doesn’t.”

Those globetrotting images are the subject of a new show at LV Dream, the exhibition space adjacent to Vuitton’s headquarters in Paris, coinciding with the Paris Photo fair and marking the final chapter of the French luxury brand’s yearlong celebration of its signature Monogram canvas.

Aveillan approached the house a year ago with the idea for a book. He has a long relationship with the brand, having directed its first film in 2008 , and documented the work of the artisans at the Louis Vuitton workshops in Asnières-sur-Seine for a series on craftsmanship.

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