Style knowledge: French leather experts Fauré Le Page

Setting up shop in 1717, Fauré Le Page is a 400-year-old French brand and is the oldest luxury maroquinier – or leathermaker – in the world.

They started by making ceremonial arms for European royalty such as Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s. Then they started making holsters for weapons, from which the luxury company now takes its inspiration.

‘Armed for seduction’ is the company’s motto, while its symbol seen on many items in its range are ornate scales, inspired by dragons. Fauré Le Page’s creative director, Augustin de Buffévent sketched the lightweight canvas and leather Dreambag for EDGAR, calling it “the ideal piece to go from the office to the gym.”

The duffle bag is made of French canvas and Italian grained calf leather and can be ferried in several ways, he explains. “A small handle on the side of the bag helps carrying it in crowded spaces or pass through narrow doors,” he says. “Two top handles braided with calf leather go all the way around the bag to haul heavy weights, while the long strap allows for shoulder or cross-body carry.”

The canvas is made in France in Fauré Le Page’s workshop by in-house artisans, and the bag is assembled in one of the finest workshops in Italy. Products “require precision, patience, and regularity to make sure they are perfect,” explains de Buffévent proudly. “Our canvas offers resistance, lightness, and yet is very supple.”