A strong social media presence is a must for brands trying to get ahead of the curve in the 21st century, but Goyard prefers to keep a low-profile. The storied Parisian trunk maker – founded in 1853, one year before its famed contemporary, Louis Vuitton – is shrouded in mystery.

The malletier’s history can actually be traced all the way back to the 18th century, when Pierre-François Martin founded trunk-makers the House of Martin. Years later, Louis-Henri Morel took over and established the House of Morel, hiring a young François Goyard as an apprentice in 1845. Goyard was mentored by both Martin and Morel, and took the helm when Martin died in 1852.

From that moment, Goyard honed a legacy founded on craftsmanship and artisanal excellence. He opened dedicated workshops and conceived the monogram print – to this day its signature design flair – inspired by the Goyard family tree. (It was dubbed the Goyardine pattern in 1982.)

Recognised for its unique, timeless quality, the Goyardine is steeped in history: the stacked dots represent the logs driven François Goyard’s ancestors, and the canvas material is made from the same naturally-coated cotton and linen cloth used by the Compagnons de Rivières, a guild of transporters who moved wood to Paris.

Jean-Michel Signoles revived Goyard in 1998 – production had been halted by the Second World War. He created state-of-the-art workshops and enlisted the help of his sons Alex, Rémi and Pierre. A section on Goyard’s website reflects Signoles’s commitment to Goyard: “Of course, the contemporary Goyard workshops are more spacious, functional and altogether a lot different from those of yesterday, but the know-how and passion of the artisans remain the same.”

Signoles established new boutiques all over the world, attracting a global customer base. Today, the pieces are made using traditionally-adapted techniques: designs were originally hand-painted, but the current process makes use of a ground-colour application, then layers of etching.