Founded in 1743, Moët & Chandon is one of France’s most renowned champagne brands, one of the grande marques based in Épernay. The house was founded by Charles Moët, a wine trader, who sourced the best grape crop in the region to produce his sparkling wines. The brand quickly became a favourite of French nobility and high society who greatly enjoyed the wine’s delicate but robust flavours. Moët grew to become one of the largest and most celebrated wine brands in France and, eventually, the world. Today the brand is one of the key marques under the LVMH stable (with the MH being an abbreviation of the brand).
Tag Archives: LVMH
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.
21 CLUB
A legendary speak-easy that grew into a landmark fine-dining institution in New York City, the 21 Club was a place to see and to be seen until it’s post-Covid closure. Originally a bar for those in the know during America’s prohibition years, it became a favourite venue of the Knickerbocker elite, a society outpost that’s legacy continued long after prohibition came to an end. The 21 Club leaned heavily into the concept of a private members club (it was a members club of sorts during its early years), with its signature jockey club motif. The bar expanded its offer to become one of the city’s finest dining rooms, a steakhouse with classic American cuisine defining its menu. The restaurant became a jewel in the Belmond/LVMH crown.
VUARNET
In 1957 two Parisian opticians introduced a new, specialist lens to the market, designed specifically for skiers, the Skilynx lens was revolutionary. It would filter out the extreme reflection often experienced from snowy terrains whilst providing clarity and shielding the eyes from the elements. Having fitted them to sunglasses, they offered their product to the French ski team and at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, Jean Vuarnet won the gold medal in Downhill skiing. Wearing the Skilynx glasses, a partnership was born that would define the brand’s pedigree for ever more. Vuarnet agreed to lend his name to the enterprising start-up and the name would come to be synonymous with high-quality, luxury performance sunglasses.
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.
ZENITH
A true pioneer in the world of watchmaking, Georges Favre-Jacot and the Zenith brand he founded in 1885 was the first of the great marques to produce beautiful of timepieces with movements designed in-house and under his own watchful eye. A perfectionist by nature, Favre-Jacot believed that the greatest wristwatches could only be made if every part of the design process was controlled, thus guaranteeing their quality. It would prove to be the making of one of the world’s greatest and most exclusive horology brands.
DIOR: A PRE-EMINENT COUTURE GRAND MAISON
Christian Dior’s eponymous fashion house has had a profound impact on the world of fashion and luxury goods since its foundation in 1946. The designer label has come to epitomise what is signature French style, both through the long association with high fashion and Couture as well as ready-to-wear and off-the-rack pieces.
LORO PIANA: THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF QUIET LUXURY
Loro Piana is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1924 by Pietro Loro Piana. The company is known for its high-quality fabrics, particularly cashmere, vicuña, and other fine wools. Loro Piana’s products include clothing, accessories, and home furnishings.
ACQUA DI PARMA: GROWN-UP FRAGRANCES FOR THOSE WITH DISCERNING TASTES
Acqua di Parma is an Italian luxury perfume house founded in 1916 by Carlo Magnani in the city from which the brand takes its name, Parma. The company is known for its classic, elegant and delicate fragrances that are inspired by the Italian countryside. Their most famous fragrance is Colonia, which is a citrusy fragrance that is perfect for everyday wear and has a loyal and dedicated fanbase. Today the brand is within LVMH’s stable and is a globally recognised marque.
FITZGABRIELS 