For over 170 years, Moynat, a distinguished French luxury brand, has built its legacy on exceptional craftsmanship, standing apart in a market in which luxury is often defined by opulence. Responsible for shaping the history of travel accessories, at the brand’s heart lies the story of Pauline Moynat, a woman who defied convention and was way ahead of her time when it came to entrepreneurial innovation.
At the tender age of 16, Pauline arrived in the French capital from Thonon, Savoie. With remarkable foresight, she witnessed the advent of railroads and train stations and capitalised on the untapped potential of trunks and travel accessories. By 1849, the visionary entrepreneur was commanding her own trunk-making workshop, setting the wheels in motion for what was about to become one of the world’s most sought-after luxury brands.
In 1869, Moynat’s ascension took shape with the opening of its first-ever boutique at 1 Avenue de l’Opéra in Paris, intentionally positioned in the city’s trendiest neighbourhood of the time. Since then, infusing innovation in functional accessories became a brand signature, especially with the introduction of the game-changing English Trunk in 1873. They were also the first to incorporate waterproof canvas, a breakthrough that propelled the new label’s rapid financial success.
The rise of the automobile industry provided Moynat with new creative avenues to remain miles ahead in the invention game. Consider the widely celebrated Limousine Trunk (1902), the Rear Automobile Trunk (1902), and the Entre-Pneu Trunk (1906), each regarded as a tour de force because of their ingenious structure and functional elegance.
The luxury house underwent an artistic redirection thanks to its collaboration with artist Henri Rapin, who shaped the brand narrative between 1905 and 1925. Known for juxtaposing Art Nouveau and Art Deco, the painter and decorator was responsible for creating the iconic M monogram, which continues to be Moynat’s defining hallmark. While most people probably first discovered the emblem on the Maison’s Canvas M collection, it was originally hand-painted on trunks by in-house artists when Henri introduced it in the early 1900s.
Today, with 28 boutiques across 12 countries, Moynat continues to blaze the trail for the future, with its founding principle of being rooted in handcrafted excellence still intact. For example, the metallic twist lock and elegant lines accentuated by bottom-stitching in the iconic Gabrielle bag’s silhouette pay homage to the Limousine Trunk, designed by the founder herself. This ongoing dialogue between past and present in the brand’s design language forms the cornerstone of its legacy, one that champions the contemporisation of heritage.
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