Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS is a French luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ranging from luxury bags and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes, perfumes, watches, jewellery, accessories, sunglasses and books. Louis Vuitton is one of the world's leading international fashion houses. It sells its products through standalone boutiques, lease departments in high-end department stores, and through the e-commerce section of its website. Louis Vuitton merged with Moët Hennessy in 1987 to create LVMH, of which it is a subsidiary. For six consecutive years (2006–2012), Louis Vuitton was named the world's most valuable luxury brand. Its 2012 valuation was US$25.9 billion. In 2013, the valuation of the brand was US$28.4 billion with revenue of US$9.4 billion. The company operates in 50 countries with more than 460 stores worldwide. Louis Vuitton has faced some episodes of criticism: continuous targeting due to its failures in ceasing forced labour, alleged mistreatment of its models in 2017, and a series of strong polemics in Barcelona, Catalonia (due to sponsoring the 2024 America's Cup) that involved an administratively opaque fashion show, significant damages in the Park Güell's UNESCO World Heritage Site, and multiple citizen protests against the company.