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Parisian in New York

  • By Men's Folio

Since its revival in 2011, the French house of Moynat has seen the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Pharrell Williams come through its doors at 348, rue Saint Honoré for a piece of its finely-crafted leather goods.

Moynat, one of the oldest French malletier (trunk-maker), founded its atelier in 1849. It later opened a store on the Avenue de l’Opéra in the heart of Paris, remaining there until its closure in the late 20th century. It was one of the most celebrated malletier in Paris, having pioneered innovations such as the first waterproof trunk made of canvas coated in gutta-percha—a gum from Indonesia, and the lightweight “English trunk” that was a traveller’s dream at a time when trunks were made of solid wood.

Parisian In New York 1Today, Ramesh Nair, artistic director of Moynat, has been creating travel objects that pay homage to the brand’s rich heritage and capture the joie de vivre spirit of the illustrious house. Under Nair’s helm, the French malletier has regained favour among the fashion-set and global cognoscenti who flock to its Paris flagship or London Mount Street store. While there are only two Moynat stores in the world at the moment, a travelling trunk show—“Le Moynat Trunk Show”—reaches out to fans outside Europe.

The travelling trunk show, reminiscent of the world expositions of yesteryear where trunkmakers showcased their wares to international clients, arrived at Dover Street Market (DSM) in the Big Apple after successful stints at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann in Paris and Isetan Shinjuku in Tokyo. Among the products on display at DSM New York’s ground floor is a vintage Moynat trunk, a specially created Moynat bicycle with its very own picnic basket covered in toile initiale, as well as the popular Quattro totes, custom painted to commemorate the Dover Street Market collaboration. 

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