When you meet Charly Martin, what immediately strikes you is the passion and dedication he has for his profession.
Charly is a hunter/collector/restorer and seller of trunks and luggage from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; together with his father, he is one of the finest French specialists in this field. It is a demanding job that takes this young man—with his blond mane, jovial and enthusiastic—from Normandy to Paris, as well as on all the roads of France, driving his white van to flea markets, antique dealers, and to professionals or private owners, whether they are future customers or sellers. The trade shows (those in Paris featuring Vuitton, Moynat, Goyard, but also the provincial fairs) hold no secrets for him. People seek his help for delicate appraisals; he advises and charms beauty lovers who want to own a fine signed suitcase, a complete car trunk, a cloakroom trunk in zinc, crocodile, with a checkered pattern, stripes, paint, or just plain leather.
Through his dedication, the vast and luxurious world of luggage comes back to life, a past that one can imagine swirling with "lobby boys" in palace halls, smoky train stations, or crowded docks: those golden eras for travel by sea, train, or automobile. In his workshop located in Normandy, his finds are pampered and recover their memory (origin, manufacture, history, particularities) and luster (leather care, nailing, repair) while always staying true to the original design. Every detail counts, such as specific hallmark clasps or a peculiar shape of trunk (usually made for cars, which were made to measure to fit the body, strapped to the rear), and Charly is obsessed with the traces of time and wear on the leather and on the wood: the magic of patina.
Charly is not only a craftsman, but in his free time he is also an archivist, a reader, a historian, and even a detective. In addition to luggage, he is always looking for old advertisements, documentation, or objects related to the art of traveling in the 19th and 20th centuries.
His collection of several hundred pieces would reach vertiginous heights if stacked judiciously! This celebration of the prestigious craftsmanship of the trunk makers of days past, as well as the preservation work undertaken by Charly, are truly an exquisite source of happiness for someone willing to give ear to his knowledge and follow him, comfortably shod in his Malfroid 310 sneakers, here, there, and everywhere.
Charly opened his first Parisian store this fall 2022: 27, rue de l’Université, 75007! Check it out!
Insta: _charly_trunks_
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