Moynat arrives on Madison Avenue

Moynat, the oldest French trunkmaker in the world, has opened their first New York boutique within the refurbished Whitney Brownstones complex on the same block as the newly minted Met Breuer.

The 2150-square-foot store, located on 937 Madison Avenue, is Moynat's first freestanding unit in the Americas. The interiors, like all Moynat boutiques, was designed by architect Gwenael Nicolas, the director of Tokyo-based architectural design firm Curiosity.

Tonal colors are prevalent throughout the store, and so are cedar shelves. Other details include an iron ceiling installation that was Cathedral-inspired, and a display case for vintage Moynat trunks.

Moynat creative director Ramesh Nair told WWD that the brand has quickly amassed a loyal contingency of, “People looking for something different, something new — discoverists. These are people who have fantastic taste, they see something they really like and buy it and are seduced by not only the design, but also the heritage.”

Moynat opens at 937 Madison Avenue

Moynat began as trunk company in 1849. In 2010, they were acquired by Group Arnault, and in 2011 they opened their first Paris boutique.

The house is currently recruiting skilled artisans to craft their handbags. Currently, Moynat employs 30 artisans who craft between 1000 and 1500 bags per year. While the brand isn't mass market, their reasons for the amount of bags they produce being so limited is because of the shortage of tanneries and skilled leather artisans in France.

A gradual increase in production is intended to boost further expansion. With the opening of their new New York store, Moynat presently operates eight units worldwide. Their partnership with Dover Street Market in New York will continue alongside the new Madison Avenue store.

Photo:bagaholicboy.com