Au départ

The store of the Gare de Nord

Au Départ was founded in 1834 and the first store in 1847. Located at 7 boulevard Denain, this large travel goods store was built opposite the Gare de Nord one year after its construction. This location allowed the trunk-maker to be as close as possible to the travelers, who were often looking for numerous trunks before their departure.

An important catalog

In the 1900s, Au Départ was at the height of its glory, the manufacturer being one of the most important trunk makers in Paris. Famous customers such as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry trusted the trunk-maker to go on trips and the catalog of items offered by the manufacturer was constantly growing. One finds there all kinds of trunks of voyage, canteen, article of hunting, fishing, trunks of representative, article of camp, picnic, wicker, etc. All types of luggage were offered at Au Départ, regardless of their size, material or use.

The monogramme

Initially, the company wanted to reach as many customers as possible and a range of "luxury trunks" was essential to complete their catalog. However, Louis Vuitton and Goyard were already considered the most upmarket manufacturers of the time. To stand out from this competition, we see the appearance in the 1900s of the famous parallelepiped monogram of Au Départ. It would seem that this pattern was directly inspired by the cracked ground of the ruins of Pompeii. Particularly rare to find today, this little produced canvas was only available in white and brown.

The signature

All Au Départ trunks are signed on the clasps or on a plate, nailed directly on the trunk. These inscriptions show the address of the manufacturer and the certification that the object comes from the manufacturer's workshop. We also find inside the label of the trunk maker with the different addresses of the stores and the phone number of the time to contact them. Not having internet, it was the only way to get in touch with the trunk maker in case of problem with his luggage.

The Locks

The "plaques"

The travel items 

There are also many travel items at Au Départ, with small toiletry cases, leather kits for bottles, manicure tools, paper presses, etc. Like the other major trunk makers of the time, Au Départ worked with the manufacturer Eloi for the production of small metal objects such as scissors or barber items. The leather items were stitched and the stamp "Au Départ 29 Avenue de L'Opéra - Paris" was systematically stamped on the leather. Precious materials such as ivory or mother-of-pearl were used on some pieces.

The trunks

Au Départ has always offered a large number of different models, with a very wide price range. You could find in this store simple wicker trunks at first price, next to a leather trunk entirely hand sewn of a very great value. The goal being to answer the request of the least traveler, for a stay has hunting, has fishing or until the end of the world

Today we find models of all materials (parchment, canvas, leather, wicker, etc.) with characteristics specific to the time of their creation. For example, as soon as the sleeping cars arrived, no trunk size was suitable to be used in the train room, so a narrow "warldrobe" trunk appeared, allowing travelers to take their clothes on the Orient Express or the Blue Train.

Today

Extinct since the 1970s, Au Départ has been relaunched in 2019 in Milan, during Milan Design Week. The new owners highlight the history of the house and are inspired by the testimony of the old luggage to give back to this brand, the success of its early years. Today, Au Départ offers many bags and trunks covered with the monogram motif and presented in familiar settings from the original house, such as the Samaritaine or the Orient Express.