Goyard Handbags: Everybody Wants One

Goyard handbags have been quite popular, especially since celebrities have started to embrace (or tote) the said French designer brand. Luxury handbag brand wars have also made recent news as handbag makers have reportedly been trying to control which celebrity should and shouldn’t be seen with their illustrious bags. One such news bit reports that the Jersey Shore cast member Snooki, who used to have a “joined at the hip” relationship with her Coach bag, has been sent free Gucci bags by competing brands. Needless to say, competition is pretty tight between designer handbags makers and certain steps are taken to protect their brands’ exclusivity.

Goyard handbags in particular have a long history, starting as a malletier as far back as 1853. The Goyard family started out as transporters of wood, and eventually came into the luggage business. The E. Goyard company became a trunk maker for French aristocratic families and offered their trunks and luggage made to order. Currently, the company is owned by the Signoles family and only has 12 branches worldwide (London, Hong Kong, Paris, Kyoto, Osaka, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Seoul, Beverly Hills, Boston, San Francisco, and New York). Its recent popularity is also attributed to Barney’s displaying Goyard bags on their store window displays.

The brand only offers a few designs in different colors; their bags are hand painted and thus only a limited number of bags are made per year. Goyard bags are considered to be one of the exclusive designer bags today, though this sort of popularity breeds imitation products to crop up in the market. Since Goyard bags are hand painted, some say that one way to check if a bag is authentic or not is to feel the dots. The painted dots on authentic Goyard bags are slightly raised compared to imitation bags that are machine-printed.

Another feature that sets Goyard handbags apart is the special blend of cotton, hemp, and linen they use on their products. This special fabric is coated in resin and is said to be both durable and lightweight. Design-wise, the Goyard handbag thrives on simplicity. The brand offers several bag designs, including the reversible shopping bag called St. Louis and the stiff bag dubbed Jersey.

At any rate, it looks like Goyard will be keeping its popularity going as one of the best designer handbags around – whether or not Snooki decides to tote one around or not.