Special Days: Tour of the Moynat Workshops in Paris
The visit took place in October 2022, but I’m only getting around to writing a post about it now 😀 I’m not paid by anyone, no one’s sponsoring me, these opinions are my own, thanks!
I first heard about and Moynat on YouTube: fashionistas frustrated by the cold, dismissive reception at Hermès and Goyard are turning to Moynat to get products they claim are “equivalent” to Hermès for less money and, above all, available.
After doing some research, I found out that Moynat is part of the LVMH group, and that’s perfect! The LVMH Special Days offer a tour of Moynat’s workshops, and since most shareholders have never heard of it, we managed to snag two spots without too much trouble (while we had to fight for the Louis Vuitton workshops and it was impossible to set foot in Goyard).
We toured the workshops in groups of 10-15, and I was the only one who had ever heard of the brand. I think they still have a long way to go in terms of marketing.
The first room, where they had us wait, was full of bags. Out of modesty, I didn’t dare take photos, but I should have, sorry. I’ll have to share the brand’s official photos instead.
I had a crush on their mini suitcase. I’d seen it in photos before, but in person, it’s just too cute. With its ridiculous dimensions, I think it qualifies as perfectly useless (you can barely fit your smartphone in it), but I have an obsession with mini suitcases, so it didn’t go unnoticed. The handles, in my opinion, fall into the “could do better” category.
I got to touch their tote bag reversible bag, a model I’ve been drooling over for months. I finally got to feel it in real life, and I find the leather absolutely stunning, the texture very pleasant, the straps comfortable, and, especially for a bag of this size, it’s not that heavy. I know it’s a bestseller because YouTubers regularly complain about it being out of stock. I find the design super clever—the bag is reversible, and the two colors complement each other well.
The brand’s other flagship models leave me cold. Ah, maybe the round mini bag, a nod to the brand’s history! It’s interesting technically, but not practical.
You should know that, like all trunk makers, Louis Vuitton and Moynat alike started with making trunks (suitcases from a bygone era). Moynat had the great idea of offering trunks with curved shapes (that hug the shape of a car roof) as well as round trunks (for the spare tire). Not to mention their plastic-coated canvas with characteristic interlocking M’s (which, at first, were drawn by hand).
10 minutes later, we’re invited to go see the artisans. Surprise: it’s not a real workshop, but two rooms set up for these visiting days. There are 3 artisans in the first room and 2 more in the second.
To showcase their unique savoir-faire, the first room shows us:
- their marquetry technique: it involves making a leather puzzle to create cool patterns. It’s a technique also highly prized at Loewe and takes a lot of time
- their mini-trunk craftsmanship (I love it!!)
- their bag craftsmanship, they happened to show my favorite tote bag
Honestly, I’m over the moon because these are the products and techniques I’m most interested in!
However, I was a bit disappointed by a few details:
- the bag’s handle (you can see I zoomed in on the handle instead of taking a photo of the marquetry, haha). For me, it’s not “plump” enough. They seem to have a problem with handles, whether in craftsmanship or design, I feel.
- the artisans quickly show us how they’re supposed to work, but they don’t work during these days, so we don’t see the actual gestures. As for the mini suitcase rivets, we were told the gesture was harder than it looked, and to demonstrate this difficulty, the artisan hammered in a rivet, and we still didn’t know why it was difficult
- regarding the tote bag, they show us two spots where hand-sewing is required (a technique that doesn’t seem hard to me). I asked the artisan if the bag was hand-sewn. She was silent for a good 3 seconds before replying, “the bag is made by the same person from start to finish.” She completely missed the point! So that means it wasn’t entirely hand-sewn? Too bad! No one hand-sews these days, not even Hermès.
We then move to the second room, where two artisans are personalizing mini suitcases by drawing on them. Initials in a pretty particular style (a bit like letters you draw on windows, you know, we’ll see the same at Goyard). Not necessarily my style, but we’re still happy to see them work. We’re told it’s also possible to draw on them. The client just needs to give a vague description, and it will be made to order.
The tour ends there, and we’re left wanting a bit more. It was shorter than I expected. The brand’s positioning is a bit particular—Moynat sits between Louis Vuitton, Goyard, and Hermès. I don’t know how LVMH is going to manage to give Moynat a clear positioning. You find the codes of a trunk maker, but also Hermès’s IYKYK side (quiet luxury), with accessibility thrown in. Maybe the brand wants to scoop up all those who leave Hermès and Goyard in a huff and don’t want LV’s flashiness?
Unfortunately, the technicality doesn’t match that of true leather goods artisans (those who make bespoke bags, entirely by hand). So it’s still very much “luxury industrialization,” but quiet luxury, without LV logos everywhere.
So I head to their boutique not far away. On the way, we pass by Goyard, where a crowd of impeccably dressed women (who smell divine) are waiting on the sidewalk like homeless people. It’s pathetic to have to queue up to splurge on overpriced bags.
At Moynat, nobody or almost. The store is gorgeous and very spacious. We’re given a very warm welcome, and the sales associates repeatedly encourage us to touch the bags… but I don’t feel like buying anything, so I politely decline.
Honestly, if I had that kind of money to spend on a luxury bag, I’d much rather buy here than grovel at Hermès and kiss up to the sales associates.
A few days later, my friend M. and I will walk by the Moynat corner at Le Bon Marché, and she got to try one of the brand’s leather bags. As always, we were treated like royalty, and they even gave us two bottles of Evian 🙂 which came in handy since we were a bit thirsty.
Next, we go check out the new arrivals at Hermès, and I nearly die laughing at the perfectly asymmetrical handle on this Kelly. My leather craftsmen would slap themselves if they ever dared to make a handle like that 😀
