Pauline Moynat founded her eponymous brand in 1849, deciding to set up shop right by the Comédie Française. This was no accident; she herself was a lover of theater. With her immense talent, she would soon become the official supplier of Parisian theaters. In the 1880s, throughout a series of backstage encounters and show viewings, Pauline would discover one of the most promising actresses of the day. Her name was Réjane. Several years later, she would dedicate a bag to her. Just like the liberty and eclecticism that were inherent to the actress herself, the Réjane bag was polyvalent and polymorphous. At any time of day, any woman could sport it as a classic handbag or on the shoulder with its removable strap. Made in diverse fabrics, colored in classic shades (blue, black, or taupe), the Réjane was chic and versatile. “Its clasp, a tiny sealed jewel, delicate and feminine, was one of the clasps that was trademarked for the brand’s very first suitcase bags, in the late 1800s. A precursor to the Art Deco movement,” recounts Guillaume Davin, president of Moynat. After fading into memory for a time, it’s today being exhumed, or rather brought to the next level, by Moynat’s creative director Ramesh Nair.
A defector from Hermès, graduate of the Institut Français de la Mode, he’s “a lover of archives, going through flea markets, surfing the web to better take on the history of the brand and perpetuate shapes…”, according to Moynat’s president. Both in present and past, the Réjane was imagined as a work of art. “Once the leathers and linings are chosen, the body panels are cut out in the main areas of the skin so that the grain matches. Next, the metallic pieces are assembled; then the lining is sewn on the exterior. In this way, the metallic components aren’t exposed to the bag’s interior, assuring for a smooth finish.” This savoir-faire is what defines the brand for Ramesh Nair. “Each bag is made from start to finish by a single artisan. Each piece is unique and bears a personal touch of the person that made it.” This is the brand’s emblematic signature.
The Réjane is the expression of the actress’ soul, considered to be “the most elegant in Paris” by the New York Times back in the day. And the new Moynat boutique at Paris department store Le Bon Marché is a perfect setting for this timelessly chic gem. The colorful space was imagined like an art gallery, fashioned in accordance with the curves of the famous Limousine trunk. Architect Gwenael Nicolas, director of the Japanese studio Curiosity, took on the creation of this cabinet of curiosities, perfected by a minute working of wood and leather “recalling the ambiance of the Orient Express.”
Leave a Reply