We always used to make a huge fuss when we tripped over, just so we could get a cute plaster – preferably decorated with Mr Men or Winnie the Pooh or something awesome (even when we were tiny, we were all about accessorising). Well now we’ve got a new excuse for feigning sickness, and it’s a little more elegant….

To celebrate the Red Cross’s 150-year anniversary (that’s a century and a half of global humanitarian aid, people), luxury label Louis Vuitton has crafted a limited-edition Red Cross Kit. And, naturally, it’s a far cry from your usual First Aid kit in a green plastic box. Inspired by the Red Cross’s original first aid kit from 1914, the Boîte Spéciale Croix-Rouge (mais, oui!), is a hard-sided case in that gorgeous Vuitton monogrammed canvas. It opens from the front to reveal tiny red and grey aluminium drawers, arranged to form a red cross. The front is painted with the Red Cross logo, and though it slightly breaks our heart to see the LV logoed canvas being painted over, we do recall LV designer Marc Jacobs saying that impossibly cool actress Charlotte Gainsbourg had an LV trunk that had been painted black by her father, legendary singer Serge – clearly, emulsion is the way forward.

The box was commissioned by Patrick-Louis Vuitton, a fifth-generation descendant of the founder who says, 'When reflecting on our collaboration with the Red Cross, it came to my mind to create a special Red Cross kit… [this is a] visually impactful and a truly unique piece.' We couldn’t agree more. The box forms part of a Louis Vuitton charity auction in aid of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, at Sothebys on 17 November, alongside five other unique, made-to-order pieces commissioned by the likes of Marc Jacobs, Damien Hirst and Annie Leibowitz. Bids are likely to be high, but maybe Louis Vuitton will bring out some logo-ed plasters for the rest of us…

www.louisvuitton.com