The design house Moynat founded in 1849, opens a pop-up store at the Galeries Lafayette, a unique showcase for the legendary Parisian leather goods and trunk maker.
The Moynat Trunk Show moves to the luxury floor of Galeries Lafayette for a period of six months, beginning July 8. Conceived as a monumental and transparent trunk, an explicit reference to the patented claw expressed in the “trunk limousine”, the architect Nicolas Gwenael designed this traveling shop. The ambition of this temporary space is to tell the story of the house and present its highlights such as the Pauline bag with rounded curves or dedicated to the famous actress Rejane Gabrielle Charlotte Réju. In addition to geographic proximity linking the two signs, it is the same commitment to openness to the world that Moynat and Galeries Lafayette share, “This story is the story of an encounter with William Davin, president and passionate esthete this single house where refinement and art detail are a rare requirement, ” said Michel Roulleau, Deputy Director General of Galeries Lafayette.
The history of the brand began in 1849 in the Paris Opera district. Moynat would quickly become the house synonymous with luxury, genuine and discreet, with a range of excellent quality and traditional skills. They filed a patent in 1854 for a Gutta Percha sap coated canvas, which guarantees foolproof impermeability, and in 1873 created the English Malle, a wicker lighter than its competitors. Their tight trunks, extra light and unbreakable perfectly meet the constraints laid down by increasingly demanding customers. Moynat is fast becoming a reference in the world of luggage and owes much of its fame to its innovations for the automotive field, including their work with Bugatti, Voisin and Labourdette. They were at all universal exhibitions since 1867, but the Second World War stopped the rise of the brand, until the closure of its flagship store on Avenue de l’Opéra in 1976.
Fallen into oblivion, it is thanks to repurchase the brand in 2010 by the holding of Bernard Arnault that Moynat will experience a true resurrection. He wants to give the house back its reputation and make it a jewel of French craftsmanship. The revival will begin with the opening of a store at 348 rue Saint-Honoré where aesthetes can enjoy custom trunks and city bags with handles and clasps specially tailored, two hallmarks of the brand. Today it is Ramesh Nair, an Indian designer passed by Hermes, Christian Lacroix and Yohji Yamamoto, who is the artistic director of Moynat. For Guillaume Davin, current CEO of the brand “the first goal is not to sell but to tell a story.” The Moynat Trunk Show is an opportunity for the Parisian house to rediscover the world, a cultural heritage soon to be bicentenary.
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