Montblanc is lifting the veil on a new era of leather goods, this time designed by a luxury industry veteran.
Marco Tomasetta has previously held design roles at Prada, Chloé and Louis Vuitton and was most recently Givenchy’s creative design director for men’s and women’s leather goods.
His first collection for Montblanc as artistic director is called Meisterstück, the same name as one of the company’s famous writing instruments. Many of the collection’s details, like zipper pulls and other hardware, play back to the tradition of fine writing instruments, and each bag is, of course, equipped with special locations to fit a pen.
Each new design comes understatedly marked with Montblanc’s curved star emblem, which Tomasetta felt was key to building a stronger brand presence. “I’m hoping you can see there is a bigger emblem present and the details have the shape of the Meisterstück. All the shapes and lines recall elements of the Meisterstück. Writing is the common thread among all of the products,” he told WWD through a translator.
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Function and versatility were among Tomasetta’s main objectives. “The first thing I wanted to do with Montblanc was work with materials that were more supple or avant garde in order to design new products to protect daily technology and, of course, pens,” the designer said.
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Leather briefcases, laptop carriers, tote bags, cross-body styles and wallets made of soft matte leather all have sleek silhouettes and proportions — offering a timely sense of minimalism that carries over into more conservative professional settings as well.
While Montblanc is more known for its pens than its leather bags, Tomasetta countered that, “Givenchy [where I most recently worked] doesn’t have a tradition in leather and accessories, while Montblanc is more credible in that market. I wanted to join Montblanc because it has leather in its DNA and looking back in the archives, they had a pen first and then came a selection of small leather goods to protect the writing instruments. It’s a tradition.”
Prices start at $290 for a card case to more than $2,000 for a duffel bag, which the brand considers its hero item. The collection will be available on Montblanc’s website as well as in its global boutiques beginning Thursday.