Moynat Rejane BB

A trunk maker by the theater

Moynat began in 1849, when the trunk makers Octavie and Francois Coulembier went into business with Pauline Moynat, a specialist in the trade. Its boutique opened in 1869 on the Place du Theatre Francais, steps from the Comedie Francaise, and moved to the Avenue de l'Opera in 1876. Pauline Moynat loved the theater, and the house became a supplier to Parisian theaters.

Moynat made its name in travel. It patented waterproofed packing materials using hardened gutta-percha in 1854, introduced its 'English trunk' in 1870, and developed lighter trunk systems in 1889 and 1910. As cars arrived it built trunks shaped to fit them; its Limousine trunk, patented in 1902, has a curved bottom edge and a frame closed with about a thousand nails set 10 millimeters apart rather than the trade's usual 16.

In 1903 the house turned that skill to a woman's handbag and named it for an actress Pauline had come to know backstage in the 1880s: Rejane. Later accounts call it the first handbag to honor a celebrity that is still made today. It could be carried by hand or worn on the shoulder with a removable strap, came in fabrics and classic shades of blue, black and taupe, and closed with a small jewel of a clasp.

The actress and the revival

Gabrielle Charlotte Reju, known as Rejane, was born in 1856, debuted at the Theatre du Vaudeville in 1875 and became leading lady of the Theatre des Varietes in 1882. Her signature role was Catherine in Madame Sans-Gene, created in October 1893, and in 1894 she played Nora in the French premiere of Ibsen's A Doll's House. Marcel Proust admired her and drew on her for Berma, the great actress of his novel. She opened her own Theatre Rejane in 1906, and when she died of influenza in 1920 a Paris newspaper wrote that the city had lost its soul.

Moynat's own story broke off. One account describes a rupture from the 1970s to 2010 when ownership and manufacturing stopped, which left the house with no living memory of its methods. Bernard Arnault acquired the name in 2010 (one account places it with his family holding company, another with LVMH), and his team, led by chief executive Guillaume Davin and artistic director Ramesh Nair, a former Hermes designer, reopened the flagship at 348 Rue Saint-Honore in December 2011. Craftspeople had to rebuild techniques from vintage pieces and old advertising.

Nair, described by Davin as a lover of archives who searched flea markets for old Moynat pieces, revived the Rejane. Davin said its clasp was one of the clasps trademarked for the brand's first suitcase bags in the late 1800s, 'a precursor to the Art Deco movement.' Nicholas Knightly became creative director in November 2022.

How a Rejane is made and identified

The revived Rejane is typically made in Taurillon, which Moynat describes as full grain and supple, and takes about 20 hours to make. Moynat has said each bag is made start to finish by a single artisan. Once the leather and lining are chosen, the body panels are cut from the main areas of the skin so the grain matches; the metal pieces are then assembled before the lining is sewn on, so no metal shows inside.

The BB is the smallest Rejane. An emerald green example listed for resale measured 20 cm wide and 14.5 cm high, with its dust bag and shoulder strap; a golden-brown BB made in 2022 was listed at 7.75 inches long, 2.75 inches deep and 5.75 inches high, with a 2.5-inch handle drop and a 23.25-inch strap drop. Look for the overlay flap with push-lock closure, gold-tone hardware on this colorway, and a smooth beige leather interior with a patch pocket.

Earlier Rejanes came larger. Around 2014 Moynat listed a Petite Rejane at 26 cm and a Rejane at 30 cm in Taurillon, priced in Paris at EUR 3,400 and EUR 3,700 including VAT, along with a crocodile version, a saddle bag and a clutch.

Rarity and the market

Moynat has never chased volume. In 2013 the house was reported to make only about 30 bags a week. A 2018 account said the Rejane and the Pauline were its two most popular bags, each selling for about $4,000 depending on leather and hardware, and that clients often had to email or visit one of a handful of boutiques to buy. Davin was quoted saying a deposit could mean waiting two to six months for some bags.

Because the brand is so little known, the Rejane BB appeals to collectors hunting craftsmanship rather than a logo. No price for an emerald green BB could be verified on a page fetched for this entry.

The quiet alternative

Moynat started in the same mid-1800s rush of Paris trunk makers that produced far better-known names. Its Rejane carries that history in its hardware: the clasp is the trunk lock, scaled down for a woman's hand. A 2015 profile noted that the New York Times once called Rejane herself 'the most elegant in Paris,' and the bag still trades on that idea of elegance without announcement.

The numbers

Dimensions

About 20 x 14.5 cm; another listing gives 7.75 x 2.75 x 5.75 in

Material

Taurillon grained calfskin; smooth beige leather interior with patch pocket

Hardware

Gold-tone push-lock clasp on this colorway

Strap

Detachable shoulder strap, about 23.25 in drop

Hours to make

About 20, by a single artisan

Production quantity

Not published; Moynat made about 30 bags a week in 2013

Timeline

1. 1849

   Moynat is founded in Paris by Octavie and Francois Coulembier with Pauline Moynat.

2. 1854

   Moynat patents waterproofed packing materials using hardened gutta-percha.

3. 1869

   The boutique opens on the Place du Theatre Francais.

4. 1876

   The boutique moves to the Avenue de l'Opera.

5. 1902

   Moynat patents the Limousine trunk, shaped to fit a car.

6. 1903

   Moynat creates the Rejane bag in honor of the actress.

7. 1905

   Designer Henri Rapin begins working with Moynat on logos, catalogues and exhibitions.

8. 1920

   Henri Rapin creates the M monogram canvas.

9. 1925

   Moynat's automobile trunks win honors at the Paris Exposition of Decorative Arts.

10. 2010

    LVMH acquires Moynat after decades of dormancy.

11. Dec 2011

    Moynat reopens its flagship at 348 Rue Saint-Honore under artistic director Ramesh Nair.

12. 2013

    The revived house is reported to make about 30 bags a week.

13. Nov 2022

    Nicholas Knightly becomes Moynat's creative director.

The world in 1893

• Oct 1893

  Rejane creates the title role of Madame Sans-Gene, her signature part.

• 1894

  Rejane plays Nora in the French premiere of Ibsen's A Doll's House.

• Jul 1, 1903

  The first Tour de France starts, a stunt to sell the newspaper L'Auto.

• 1904

  Rejane makes the second of her two Broadway appearances.

• 1906

  Rejane opens her own Theatre Rejane in Paris.

• Jun 14, 1920

  Rejane dies of influenza in Paris.

Price record

This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.

By reference price, Moynat Rejane BB is number 84 of 100 in the handbags entries of the FLOAT 100. 19 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (88 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• The Rejane is described as the first handbag named for a celebrity that is still in production.
• Moynat's first boutique stood steps from the Comedie Francaise, and the house supplied Paris theaters.
• Marcel Proust partly based the actress Berma in his novel on Rejane.
• A Moynat Limousine trunk carries about a thousand nails spaced 10 mm apart instead of the usual 16.
• After its revival, Moynat had to rebuild its techniques from old pieces and advertisements because no one who had worked there remained.
• The Rejane's clasp descends from locks trademarked for Moynat's first suitcase bags in the late 1800s.