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Our portrait of Charly Martin, the trunk expert

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 nineteen and twentieth centuries; he is, with his father, one of the finest French specialist in this field. A demanding job which leads 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, professionals or private owners, future customers or sellers. The salons (those in Paris at Vuitton, Moynat, Goyard but also the provincial trade fairs) have no secrets for him. One seeks his help for delicate expertise, he advises and seduces lovers of beauty who want to own a nice signed suitcase, a complete car trunk, a cloakroom trunk in zinc, crocodile, with 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 navigation, train or automobile trips. 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 hallmarked 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 by the traces of time and wear on the leather, on wood : the magic of patina.

Charly is not only a craftsman but he is also an archivist and a reader in his free time, an historian and even a detective. In addition to luggage, he’s always looking for ancient ads, documentations or objects related to the the art of traveling in the 19th and 20th centuries.

His collection of several hundred pieces would rise, if stacked judiciously, to vertiginous heights! This celebration of the prestigious craftsmanship of the trunk makers of days past as well as the work of preservation 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 has opened his first parisian store this fall 2022 : 27, rue de l’université 75007! Check it out!

www.bagagecollection.com

insta : _charly_trunks_