Goyard
(1853 - present )
Although the brand with its current name was founded in 1853, the firm was active since 1792 under the name of Maison Martin, from the name of the original establisher Pierre-François Martin. As one of the first ads specified “Maison Martin sells an assortment of boxes and cases; it provides quality packing services for fragile furniture and objects, as well as hats, gowns and flowers; it uses oiled canvas, plain canvas and straw for packing; manufacturer of horse carriage trunks and coat racks, it also supplies oilcloth and waterproof canvas, all at a fair price."
The firm soon became quite popular and was granted the title of official purveyor of the Duchess of Berry. In 1834 the company moved to its current address in rue Saint-Honoré, Paris.
Martin took one of his employees, Luis-Henri Morel, under his wing and, when he married his foster daughter, Morel received the control of the business as her dowry. In 1845 Morel and Martin employed François Goyard as an apprentice. When Morel suddenly died, in 1852, Goyard took over the business and renamed the company to its current name, Goyard.
In 1885 François retired, leaving the company to his son, Edmond. Soon the brand’s popularity grew internationally, new accessories started to be produced and the celebrated ‘Goyard’s canvas’ was created. Goyardine canvas was created by Edmond Goyard in 1892. His innovative approach led to producing the light, but water-resistant and dense fabric, woven of linen and cotton threads. The manufacturing process of Goyardine is still highly classified. Originally it was hand-painted with the famous Goyard monogram. The repeating chevron pattern represents the letter "Y" formed from the cluster of tiny dots.
Starting with the Exposition Universelle of Paris in 1900, where the firm earned a bronze medal, Goyard participated in several World Exhibitions winning a number of prizes. In 1908, at the Franco-British exhibition in London, the brand won a gold medal competing against Louis Vuitton.
The brand became iconic and a favourite with the main European royal families and aristocracy: Pablo Picasso, John D. Rockefeller, Coco Chanel, the Romanovs and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were just some of the firm’s more famous clients. Goyard crafted exclusive trunks based on personal wishes of their clients. The inside of the trunk could keep a minibar, a tea table, a bicycle, gardening tools, equipment for polo or picnic. One of such extravagant trunks was made upon the request of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to include a fully-equipped office in the Goyard trunk.
After the Second World War, the production of Goyardine was stopped and only launched again when the company was bought from the Goyard family by Jean-Michel Signoles in 1998. The wide range of new colours was introduced in addition to the historic black shade of the iconic canvas. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, to name just a few, are now available for all pieces.
It is quite remarkable to notice how the brand became - and still is nowadays - an icon of style appreciated by high society and celebrities, without investing in advertising, avoiding public interviews and maintaining a certain amount of secrecy. The high degree of personalisation of every product is also due to the fact that the brand still maintains the same artisanal methods of production, preserving the same level of exclusivity that has always been one of the main characteristics of this firm.