Moynat e Pharrell Williams.     Scroll down for english text.

Nella storia di Moynat, molte creazioni sono nate da “re-incontri e incontri”, dall’amicizia fra Pauline Moynat e Gabrielle Réjane nel tardo 19° secolo …fino alle creazioni di Ramesh Nair per Yannick Alleno e Pierre Hermé oggi.

Durante la sua vita all’atelier di Moynat a Parigi, Pharrell – intrigato dalla collezione di vecchi bauletti – ha scoperto una vecchia etichetta di Moynat che aveva come immagine un treno. Questo gli ha ricordato del classico musical degli anni ’40 “The Harvey Girls”: un gioioso racconto delle donne lavoratrici del New England che andavano verso Ovest portando con loro la loro cultura e il loro cibo. Per una coincidenza anche Ramesh Nair, direttore artistico di Moynat, aveva in mente un concept incentrato sui treni perché ascoltava continuamente “Hear my train a comin” di Jimy Hendrix. Entrambi presero queste confidenze come un segno di una collaborazione che andava portata avanti.

“Tutti gli adulti di oggi erano una volta bambini…ma solo pochi se lo ricordano” dice Ramesh. Il treno come concetto rappresenta il fanciullo che c’è dentro ognuno di noi. La collezione Moynat per Pharrell Williams include una “train bag” in resina lavorata a mano, una “train clutch” in legno di ebano scolpito a mano, entrambe sono modellate su treni americani, poi ci sono anche due “train pochette” disponibili in 7 diverse colorazioni con un’applicazione a forma di treno giocattolo realizzata a mano e tessuto con grafiche ispirate alle ferrovie in stile costruttivista.

La collezione sarà lanciata in esclusiva da Colette a Parigi il 13 Ottobre e il 20 Ottobre nelle boutique Moynat a Parigi e a Londra, in seguito sarà disponibile nei trunk show Moynat a Isetan Shinjuku in Tokyo e presso Dover Street Market in New York.

In the Moynat history, many creations begin with a beautiful rencontre or encounter, from the friendship between Pauline Moynat and Gabrielle Réjane in the late 19th century to Ramesh Nair’s creations for Yannick Alleno and Pierre Hermé today.

During his visit to Moynat atelier in Paris last October, Pharrell Williams, intrigued by the collection of vintage trunks and discovered an old Moynat label featuring a train. It reminded him of the classic 1940s musical movie “The Harvey Girls”, a joyous, fictionalized tribute to the New England working women who went out West, bringing culture and food. Coincidently, Ramesh Nair, the artistic director of Moynat, also had trains on his mind, as he had been listening to Jimi Hendrix’s Hear My Train A Comin’. They immediately took it as a sign that their collaboration was meant to be.

“All grown-ups were once children… but only a few remember it.” Ramesh said. The train represents the “inner child” that sleeps in every heart. The Moynat x Pharrell Williams collection thus includes an “Train Bag” in hand tooled resin and a “Train Clutch” in hand sculpted Ebony wood, both of which are fun takes on the American railroad car, two “Train Pochette” available in seven color variations featuring a toy train in Taurillon-gex leather applied by the traditional marquetry craftsmanship, and textiles with railroad graphics in Constructivist style.

The collection will be exclusively launched at Colette in Paris on Oct 13^rd 2014 and Oct 20^th 2014 at the Moynat boutiques in Paris and London, and later become available at the “Moynat trunk show” at Isetan Shinjuku in Tokyo and Dover Street Market in New York.

Moynat history

Pauline Moynat, a visionary and the only woman trunk-maker in history, founded Moynat in 1849, and soon made the house the most Parisian of the French leather goods and trunk makers of her time.

Founded at the time of the establishment of the French railway system, Moynat was always at the forefront of innovation to enable travellers to journey in style. The house registered innumerable patents, especially for train luggage, including the first ever malle coffre fort, which contained a secret drawer with a patented safety lock to secure precious belongings, and the malle camphrier, made of camphor wood to protect fur coats from moth damage.

Moynat has always been recognized as an emblem of authentic, discreet and uncompromising luxury. Its boutiques at 348 rue Saint-Honoré in Paris and 112 Mount Street in London have become the haunt of connoisseurs, lovers of beauty looking for elegant and unusual pieces, and thereby stating their strong, personal style signatures.