Moynat Malletier, Paris

Moynat, the oldest Parisian suitcase manufacturer, has come back on the scene after being bought out by LVMH.

Last weekend, I was walking along rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré when i came across a new window display that caught my eye.

At first I thought I was standing in front of Goyard, the suitcase brand, as the two shop fronts look very similar: the same vintage feel, same display of travel items, same retro-inspired colour scheme and same piles of suitcases at the store entrance…Unless I was imagining things, as the Goyard store was just on the other side of the road…

So what brand would have the audacity to set up shop here and rival the prestigious Goyard label? The whole idea seemed quite shocking, daring and rather unbelievable. That was until I discovered what Moynat was…

Even if you are a collector of vintage trunks, I can assume that Moynat doesn’t really mean anything to you either. And so I did a bit of research to find out more about this unbelievably ambitious brand.

It was then that I realised (and not without being a bit embarrassed about my ignorance) that Moynat is no other than one of the most luxurious Parisian suitcase manufacturers of the 19^th century, and that Bernard Arnault has decided to bring the label back to life today.

The shops slowly shut down until they closed their very last one in 1976, but the brand continued to exist and went from owner to owner, until it was finally bought out by LVMH in March 2010.

Bernard Arnaud wanted to revive the legendary label and deliberately show it as Goyard’s main competitor. Daring, pretentious or understandable? What’s your take on it? As for me, my love for Goyard products has made my opinion somewhat biased.

Whatever our thoughts may be, the new store opened its doors to the public last Saturday on 348 rue Saint-Honoré, and boasts a shop-floor space of 200m2 and has retained the same authentic decor of the former shops.

Made to measure suitcases, bags, and accessories in all styles: welcome to the new home of luxury leather goods. There’s no doubt that (if its not already the case) Moynat will soon start offering the same exclusive services that you will find at Goyard.

The bags start out at 1000 euros, which already tells us a lot about the status and ambitions of the label.

But this price still needs to be justified. Will Moynat offer the same impeccable service as Goyard, where the customers are made to feel welcome and wanted from the minute they enter the door and the shop assistants go out of their way to ensure your product is adapted and personalised to cater to all your preferences and needs. That’s without mentioning the undeniable high quality of the items, which will truly last a lifetime.

At Moynat, Ramesh Nair, an Indian designer who learnt from the very best, has designed the products, working in the past with the luxury labels Hermès, Christian Lacroix and Yohji Yamamoto. According to Guillaume Davin, the managing director of the brand, and former chief executive of Louis Vuitton and Sephora, ‘the aim is not to sell but to tell a story’’.

Of course the existence of a brand is never just about the dream that they want to fulfill, but also about the commercial success, but i think that Bernard Arnault already has some really grand ambitions for this brand which boasts such a rich Parisian history.