In the golden age of travel, well-heeled passengers needed to be sure that they had the best cases to protect and secure their possessions. Many of today’s most well-known luxury brands and fashion houses were born in this era – designing and crafting suitcases and steamer trunks to service this exclusive clientele.
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Famous brands such as Louis Vuitton, Goyard and Moynat began as luggage and leather goods manufacturers and their classic trunks are still highly sought after today. Similarly, collectors eagerly seek out pieces by famous makers Bazar de Voyages, La Malle Bernard and others. The great malletiers of France are often regarded as the preferred trunkmakers to European aristocratic society, but many other renowned makers emerged in Italy, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere. Many came into being as saddlery and leather goods makers catering to the burgeoning equestrian travel trade in the 19th Century, others owe their heritage to the manufacturing of campaign furniture to support the efforts of European imperial military officers. However, it was the golden age of travel, the advent of steamships and locomotive transport that has come to be most closely associated with the acquisition of luxury travel cases, commissioned to bespoke designs and decal to demonstrate the great wealth and taste of its owner.
We have assembled a directory of the most famous makers, many of which have remained trading since their foundation, others have been revived in more recent years and some are no longer in existence.
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LUXURY TRUNK & TRAVEL CASE BRANDS DIRECTORY
Agresti is an acclaimed Florentine manufactory producing beautiful, hand-crafted secure storage units, such as safes, armories and watch-winder vaults. The house uses only the finest quality materials in their production, ensuring an elegant, luxurious finish befitting the valuables secured within.
SINCE 1949 | ITALIAN | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | agresti.com
FLORENCE
ARMORIES | CABINET-MAKERS | CABINETRY | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | SAFES & VAULTS | STORAGE BOXES & CHESTS | TRUNKS | WATCH-WINDERS
AIGNER
SINCE 1950 | GERMAN | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | aignermunich.com
MUNICH
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | FASHION | FRAGRANCES & PERFUMES | HOMEWARES | JEWELLERY | LUGGAGE | MENSWEAR | READY-TO-WEAR | SHOES | TRUNKS | WOMENSWEAR | WRISTWATCHES | WRITING INSTRUMENTS
ALBATROS MALLETIER
SINCE 2015 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY CONTEMPORARY BRAND | albatros-malletier.com
QUESSOY
ACCESSORIES | HUMIDORS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS | WATCH WINDERS
ALVIERO MARTINI
1A CLASSE
SINCE 1991 | ITALIAN | LUXURY CONTEMPORARY BRAND | alvieromartini.it
MILAN
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | CHILDRENSWEAR | JEWELLERY | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | MENSWEAR | READY-TO-WEAR | SHOES | TRUNKS | WOMENSWEAR
ASPREY
One of the world’s oldest jewellers and curators of elegant homewares, tablewares and accessories, Asprey has been a household name in the smartest households since shortly after William Asprey established his eponymous house in 1781. Today, the jewellery side of the business has gained international acclaim, in part due to the marque’s royal patronage. Alongside it’s one-time stablemate, Garrard, this brand is considered one of the very top tier prestige jewellers in the world and, together, these marques established London’s Bond Street as a centre for jewellery and silverware.
SINCE 1781 | ENGLISH / BRITISH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | asprey.com
LONDON
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | CRYSTALWARE | JEWELLERY | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | SILVERSMITHS | TABLEWARE | TIMEPIECES | TRUNKS
AU DÉPART
SINCE 1834 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | audepart.com
PARIS
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
AU TOURISTE
SINCE 1847 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | autouriste.com
PARIS
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
LUVANIS
AUX ÉTATS UNIS
SINCE 1845 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | auxetatsunis.com
PARIS
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
BARROW, HEPBURN & GALE
SINCE 1760 | ENGLISH / BRITISH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | barrowhepburnandgale.com
LONDON
ACCESSORIES | BESPOKE | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | STATIONERS STORAGE BOXES | TRUNKS
BAZAR DU VOYAGE
SINCE 1843 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND
PARIS
CAMPAIGN FURNITURE | FURNITURE | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | STORAGE BOXES | TRUNKS
BELBER
SINCE 1891 | AMERICAN | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | belber.com
PHILADELPHIA
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
BELMAL
BELLES MALLES DE FRANCE
SINCE 2005 | BELGIAN | PREMIUM LUXURY CONTEMPORARY BRAND | belmal.be
MONS
LUGGAGE | RESTORATION SERVICES | STORAGE BOXES | TRUNKS
BERTONI
SINCE 1949 | ITALIAN | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | bertoni1949.it
MILAN
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE
BIGOT-MORAND
B&M / BIGOT / BIGOT & MORAND
SINCE 1800s | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND
PARIS
LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
BILTMORE TRUNK MFG.
SINCE 1945 | AMERICAN | LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | biltmoretrunk.com
NEW YORK
LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
BODENHORST
SINCE 2010 | BELGIAN | PREMIUM LUXURY CONTEMPORARY BRAND | bodenhorst.com
BRUSSELS
FURNITURE | HOMEWARES | TRUNKS
BOTTEGA VENETA
SINCE 1966 | ITALIAN | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | bottegaveneta.com
VICENZA | MILAN
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | FASHION | FRAGRANCES & PERFUMES | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | MENSWEAR | READY-TO-WEAR | SHOES | WOMENSWEAR
KERING | GROUPE ARTÉMIS
CAMBRIDGE SATCHEL
THE CAMBRIDGE SATCHEL CO.
SINCE 2008 | ENGLISH / BRITISH | LUXURY CONTEMPORARY BRAND | cambridgesatchel.com
CAMBRIDGE
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
CHALONS
GRANDS MAGASIN CHALONS / MAGASIN CHALONS
SINCE 1868 | EGPYTIAN | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND
ALEXANDRA
ACCESSORIES | DEPARTMENT STORE | DINNERWARE | FINE CHINA | HOMEWARES | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | PORCELAIN | RETAILER | TRUNKS
CHAPOGET
SINCE 2022 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY CONTEMPORARY BRAND | chapoget.com
PARIS
LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
CLINTON
CLINTON WALL TRUNK
SINCE 1890 | AMERICAN | LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND
CLINTON
LUGGAGE | STORAGE BOXES | TRUNKS
This Belgian luxury goods marque is the oldest high-end leather goods maker in the world, tracing its foundation back to 1829 when Charles Delvaux opened his eponymous store in Brussels. With a reputation for excellence in their craftsmanship and an exquisite attention to detail, Delvaux became a preferred brand to much of Europe’s aristocratic and noble classes, eventually earning a warrant as purveyors to the Royal Court of Belgium in 1883. The brand was particularly known for their luggage and steam trunks in the golden age of travel but has successfully reinvented themselves in the modern age as a fabricator of must-have handbags and other leather accessories. The house continues upon that tradition today as a label in the Richemont luxury goods stable.
SINCE 1829 | BELGIAN | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | delvaux.com
BRUSSELS
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE
RICHEMONT
EPHTÉE
SINCE 1998 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY CONTEMPORARY BRAND | ephtee.com
BORDEAUX
ACCESSORIES | LUGGAGE | STORAGE BOXES | TRUNKS
FINNIGANS
SINCE 1830 | ENGLISH / BRITISH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | finnigans.com
MANCHESTER | LONDON
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
LUVANIS
SINCE 1897 | ENGLISH / BRITISH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | globe-trotter.com
LONDON
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | GIFTWARE | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | STORAGE BOXES & CHESTS | TRUNKS | WATCH WINDERS
GOYARD
MAISON GOYARD
Goyard is a French luxury goods company founded in 1853 by François Goyard but with a history that dates back much further. The company began as a malletier – a maker of high-end trunks, storage boxes and luggage – by appointment to royalty and Courtisans. Their reputation for luxurious finishes and attention to detail marked them out as one of the pre-eminent labels which only those with the finest tastes (and the deepest pockets) were fortunate enough to own. The brand has grown steadily over the years to offer a wide range of high-quality leather goods, including luggage, handbags, and accessories. Goyard’s products are often identified by their distinctive chevron canvas pattern, a signature of the house, which was first introduced in 1892.
SINCE 1853 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | goyard.com
PARIS
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | BESPOKE | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | STORAGE BOXES
GREENE
GREEN OF 1526
SINCE 1526 | ENGLISH / BRITISH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | greene1526.com
LONDON
ACCESSORIES | BESPOKE | LUGGAGE | STORAGE BOXES | TRUNKS
BELMAL
GUCCI
SINCE 1921 | ITALIAN | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | gucci.com
FLORENCE
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | FASHION | FRAGRANCES & PERFUMES | HAUTE COUTURE | HOMEWARES | JEWELLERY | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | MADE-TO-MEASURE | MENSWEAR | READY-TO-WEAR | SHOES | TIMEPIECES | WOMENSWEAR
KERING | GROUPE ARTÉMIS
H.J. CAVE
H.J. CAVE & SONS
SINCE 1839 | BRITISH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | hjcaveinternational.com
LONDON
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | BESPOKE | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
SINCE 1877 | AMERICAN | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | hartmann.com
MILWAUKEE
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
The ultimate in luxury brands, Hermès is synonymous with opulent and sumptuous goods, finished to the highest standards. This house has perfected the art of luxury since its foundation as a saddlery in 1837. From the outset, the Hermès brand was a favourite of the highest of nobility and the Parisian elite who would seek out no other maker for their equestrian and carriage equipment. The maison would use it’s leather-making expertise to craft various other accoutrement essential to the comfortable travel of its distinguished customers, including luggage and travel cases. With the advent of the automotive age, the brand would apply its prestige and know-how to upholstering the very best motor cars and expanding into leather goods, such as handbags, belts, boots and so forth. This also marked the transformation of the brand into a high fashion label, renowned for their selection of the best materials and elaborate prints to create beautiful accessories and apparel. Today the brand stands as the height of luxury, admired and desired throughout the world.
SINCE 1837 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | hermes.com
PARIS
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | FASHION | FRAGRANCES & PERFUMES | FURNISHINGS | HATS | HOMEWARES | JEWELLERY | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | MENSWEAR | READY-TO-WEAR | SHOES | WOMENSWEAR
HERMÈS GROUP
HICKS & HICKS
SINCE 2013 | ENGLISH / BRITISH | LUXURY CONTEMPORARY BRAND | hicksandhicks.com
TRURO
ACCESSORIES | ANTIQUES | FURNITURE | HOMEWARES | TRUNKS
J. TRUESDALE & SON
TRUESDALE / TRUESDALE WALL TRUNK
SINCE 1894 | AMERICAN | LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND
MANCHESTER
LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
Founded in 1876, Lancel began as a producer of luxurious smoking instruments and gentlemen’s accessories, silverware, dinnerware and even timepieces. However, it was their leather goods and complementing travelware that would see the brand becoming a big hit with Parisian society. The firm slowly repositioned itself as a manufacturer of elegant bags, luggage and leather products. Their trunks and suitcases were very popular in the age of steamship travel and the early years of aviation travel, putting the firm on a similar footing to other great malletiers of the age. The brand was acquired by the luxury goods conglomerate, Richemont, before being sold to Piquadro who currently steward this illustrious marque.
SINCE 1876 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | lancel.com
PARIS
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | LIGHTERS | LUGGAGE | MALLETIER | SMOKING ACCESSORIES
PIQUADRO
Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton or LV, is a French luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label’s LV monogram appears on most of its products, ranging from luxury bags and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes, perfumes, watches, jewellery, accessories, sunglasses and books. Louis Vuitton is one of the world’s leading international fashion houses. It sells its products through standalone boutiques, lease departments in high-end departmental stores, and through the e-commerce section of its website.
SINCE 1854 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | louisvuitton.com
PARIS
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | BESPOKE | EYEWEAR | FASHION | FRAGRANCES & PERFUMES | HAUTE COUTURE | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | MENSWEAR | READY-TO-WEAR | SHOES | TIMEPIECES | WOMENSWEAR | WRISTWATCHES
LVMH
M.M. SECOR
GREAT NORTHWESTERN TRUNK & TRAVELLING BAG MANUFACTORY / MARTIN MATHIAS SECOR
SINCE 1877 | AMERICAN | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND
RACINE
ACCESSORIES | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
LA MALLE BERNARD
LMB
SINCE 1846 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | lamallebernard.fr
COUDRES
ACCESSORIES | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
MOSSMAN
MOSSMAN TRUNKS
SINCE 1938 | ENGLISH / BRITISH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | mossman-trunks.co.uk
WISBECH
LUGGAGE | STORAGE BOXES | TRUNKS
Moynat is one of the great Parisian malletiers alongside Goyard and Louis Vuitton, famous for it’s high-end luxury trunks and luggage and synonymous with the golden age of travel. Similar to their rivals, Moynat is easily identified by their distinctive patterns and colourways and the high-quality finish. The brand became a darling of European society, with many celebrated and royal patrons. The brand fell out of favour as air travel replaced ocean liners but the brand was revived by LVMH with Luvanis and reinstated as one of the world’s pre-eminent luxury brands, specialising in leather goods, bags & handbags, luggage and fragrances.
SINCE 1849 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | moynat.com
PARIS
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | BESPOKE | FRAGRANCES & PERFUMES | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE
LUVANIS | LVMH
PARÉ
SINCE 2009 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY CONTEMPORARY BRAND | malletier.paris
PARIS
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | BESPOKE | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
BELMAL
PINEL & PINEL
PINEL ET PINEL
SINCE 2004 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY CONTEMPORARY BRAND | pineletpinel.com
PARIS
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
PRADA
Prada is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1913 by Mario Prada. The brand is known for its minimalist and elegant designs, as well as its high-quality craftsmanship. Prada produces a wide range of products, including clothing, handbags, accessories, fragrances, and eyewear.
SINCE 1913 | ITALIAN | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | prada.com
MILAN
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | EYEWEAR | FASHION | FRAGRANCES & PERFUMES | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | MADE-TO-MEASURE | MENSWEAR | READY-TO-WEAR | SHOES | WOMENSWEAR
Rimowa, like so many of our most celebrated luxury brands, began life as a saddlery in the 19th Century, crafting high quality equestrian goods, accessories and leather goods for exacting customers in the age of horse-drawn travel. The company, founded in 1898 by Paul Morszeck and his business partner, Heinrich Görtz, traded as Görtz & Morszeck and quickly developed a reputation for excellence. Görtz left in 1900 and Morszeck would take the company a different direction, focussing on saddlebags, travel trunks and luggage, embracing the advent in aviation and steamship travel. When his son, Richard, joined the business in 1931, changing the businesses name to a play on his own, Rimowa would begin to craft the highest quality luggage, robust and indestructible and inspired by the flight cases used by pilots. This design brief would become the house’s signature and is still very much in demand today. The house was taken over by the luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH, in 2016.
SINCE 1898 | GERMAN | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | rimowa.com
COLOGNE
ACCESSORIES | LUGGAGE
LVMH
ROYAL TRUNK & CO.
ROYAL TRUNK
SINCE 2012 | ITALIAN | PREMIUM LUXURY CONTEMPORARY BRAND | royaltrunk.com
BRESCIA
BESPOKE | LUGGAGE | STORAGE BOXES | TRUNKS | WATCH WINDERS
SEWARD TRUNK
SINCE 1878 | AMERICAN | LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | sewardtrunks.com
PETERSBURG
LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
SWAINE
SWAINE ADENEY BRIGG / SWAINE LONDON
One of Britain’s great luxury goods houses, Swaine (Swaine Adeney Brigg) has been supplying high-end accessories, leather goods, luggage and accoutrements to Europe’s upper classes for more than two centuries. Founded in 1750 as a saddlery, Swaine became synonymous with the finest quality riding equipment and travel accessories, a reputation that persists today. The house acquired noted umbrella maker, Brigg in 1943 and milliner Herbert Johnson in 1996 to place the firm at the forefront of the luxury accessories market.
SINCE 1750 | ENGLISH / BRITISH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | swaine.london
LONDON
ACCESSORIES | BESPOKE | CANES | EQUESTRIAN GEAR | HATS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | MILLINERS | UMBRELLAS | WALKING STICKS
SWAINE ADENEY BRIGG
T. T. TRUNKS
SINCE 2010 | FRENCH | PREMIUM LUXURY CONTEMPORARY BRAND | tttrunks.com
PARIS
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | BESPOKE | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS | WATCH WINDERS
TANNER KROLLE
TK
SINCE 1856 | ENGLISH / BRITISH | PREMIUM LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | tannerkrolle.com
LONDON
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | BESPOKE | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
TAYLOR TRUNK COMPANY
TAYLOR TRUNK / TT
SINCE 1883 | AMERICAN | LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND | taylortrunk.com
LOUISVILLE
ACCESSORIES | BAGS & HANDBAGS | LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | RETAILER | TRUNKS
VIRGINIA TRUNK & BAG COMPANY
DREADNOUGHT LUGGAGE
SINCE 1898 | AMERICAN | LUXURY HERITAGE BRAND
PETERSBURG
LEATHER GOODS | LUGGAGE | TRUNKS
MAP
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FEATURED BRANDS [50]:
AGRESTI | AIGNER | ALBATROS MALLETIER | ALVIERO MARTINI | ASPREY | AU DÉPART | AU TOURISTE | AUX ÉTATS UNIS | BARROW, HEPBURN & GALE | BAZAR DU VOYAGE | BELBER | BELMAL | BERTONI | BIGOT-MORAND | BILTMORE TRUNK MFG | BODENHORST | BOTTEGA VENETA | CAMBRIDGE SATCHEL | CHALONS | CHAPOGET | CLINTON | DELVAUX | EPHTÉE | FINNIGANS | GLOBE-TROTTER | GOYARD | GREENE | GUCCI | H.J. CAVE | HARTMANN | HERMÈS | HICKS & HICKS | J. TRUESDALE & SON | LANCEL | LOUIS VUITTON | M.M. SECOR | LA MALLE BERNARD | MOSSMAN | MOYNAT | PARÉ | PINEL & PINEL | PRADA | RIMOWA | ROYAL TRUNK CO. | SEWARD TRUNK CO | SWAINE | T.T. TRUNKS | TANNER KROLLE | TAYLOR TRUNK COMPANY | VIRGINIA TRUNK & BAG COMPANY
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