RIMOWA

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.

MOYNAT

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.

LOUIS VUITTON: FROM ILLUSTRIOUS TRUNKMAKER TO GRAND FASHION HOUSE

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.

GOYARD: LUGGAGE-MAKER TO THE STARS

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.