Patrick-Louis Vuitton dies

Patrick-Louis Vuitton, the great-great-grandson of Louis Vuitton, has died at the age of 68.

The passing of Patrick-Louis - who was a fifth generation heir to the luxury French fashion brand's founder - was announced by the fashion house via the company's official Instagram account

The social media post read: "It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Patrick-Louis Vuitton. All our thoughts go to his family, in particular, his sons Pierre-Louis and Benoit-Louis who work beside us, as well as his grandchildren."

Patrick-Louis had started working for the brand at the age of 22 and became the production manager of the luxury leather goods label in 1975.

Amongst his major contributions to Louis Vuitton label were his opening of the second Louis Vuitton workshop in 1977, whilst he was put in charge of the famous luggage collection as well as Special Orders from 1986.

Michael Burke, chairman and chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton, has paid tribute to Patrick-Louis in the wake of his death, praising him for having an "avant-garde" spirit.

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In a statement, Burke said: "Patrick-Louis possessed an avant-garde and modern spirit, along with a 'strong-tempered personality from the Jura', a reference he often enjoyed using to describe himself.

"He always knew how to nourish the House's heritage and to give vision for the future. 'Savoir-faire can only exist if it is transmitted...' was one of his favourite expressions. Patrick-Louis will be heavily missed, especially at Asnieres, in the Special Orders workshop, where the emotions of the teams who worked side-by-side with him are deeply felt."