Damien Hirst’s fascination with anatomy is matched only by his penchant for luxury. Louis Vuitton offered him the opportunity to create a bespoke leather piece, was identical twin trunks with compartments to accommodate his collection of surgical instruments.

Hirst is one of six people, each a master of a particular trade, who were asked in 2008 by Louis Vuitton to dream up a unique item embodying their professional expertise. The designs were produced at the company’s workshop in Asnières, near Paris, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Until 1977 this workshop was Louis Vuitton’s sole production facility; today the brand has 15 factories in France, Spain and Italy. The Asnières workshop now produces only bespoke orders, of which it receives some 550 annually.

Hirst’s twin trunks are constructed from black Nomade leather printed with an assortment of butterflies – inspired, it seems, by the artist’s tableaux Butterfly Paintings of real butterflies suspended in paint – and lined with deep-blue velvet. Another Hirst motif, a silver skull, is encrusted on the inside of each lid.

The principles of the trunk-making craft, of which Louis Vuitton was a pioneer, are the same today as they were 150 years ago. The processes needed to create items are incredibly labourintensive. The 220 men and women employed by the Asnières atelier. The light, waterproof canvas that Vuitton invented more than a century ago is still hammered and glued to a wooden frame, before a craftsman fixes in place the binding that attaches the lid to the case, a technique developed to avoid the need for metal hinges, which would eventually rust. Or Treat yourself with cheap replica handbags.