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Come discover the iconic lines of Le Tanneur.

Our history

1898
1900
1900
1914
1923
1955
1960
1963
1978
1980
1986
2006
2018
2019
2020
2023

1898

The brand is founded in 1898, based on a patent, and resulting from the meeting of two exceptionally skilled men. Two entrepreneur-inventors: one a leather worker, Monsieur Charles Bonnardel, and the other a third-generation tanner, Mr Francisque Bornex, join forces to launch the first luxury leather goods item, the revolutionary « Sans Couture ».

1900

The brand's first creation, « Le Sans Couture », wins the silver prize at the Paris Universal Exhibition. Assembled using rivets rather than seams, Sans Couture is revolutionary. Still made in France today, it has become the brand icon.

1900-1907

Le Tanneur builds a vast factory in Belley and employs 70 workers: the luxury leather goods industry is born and, drawing upon the "famous skills and expertise of Le Tanneur's little hands", it opens the way to the industrialisation that will create wealth in every sense of the word for a brand, a region, and a town.Boosted by this success, Le Tanneur wins the hearts of professionals, and the brand opens two shops in Paris on the Grands Boulevards. The first Le Tanneur shop advertisements appear in the Journal des Bazars in July 1907.

1914

Le Tanneur, recognised for the quality of its products, is chosen in 1914 to equip the French Army with satchels, lanyards, boots, gaiters and leggings and receives the Gold Medal at the Lyon International Exhibition.

1923

Guillaume Gianinetto à la tête de la Maison pendant plus de 40 ans.Barely 26 years old, he has the drive and talent to propel Le Tanneur and its innovative products into a new era by instilling the culture of a modern, industrial company, aware of the importance of good communication. It is the culture of a brand he will build with retailers from Paris to Marseille, and, thanks to his business acumen, the spirit of Le Tanneur is still just as alive today among all the brand's distribution partners.

1955

Hundreds of posters are plastered across the roads of France, calling out to motorists with the slogan "Maroquinerie LE TANNEUR: les beaux cadeaux en cuir" ("LE TANNEUR leather goods: beautiful leather gifts"). To complete this unprecedented campaign, Le Tanneur publishes catalogues, and up to a million copies are printed in 1970.

1960

The company's 750-strong leather goods range is a triumph, and the French take the company to their hearts, regarding leather-covered items as the epitome of luxury.Le Tanneur offers cigar cases, manicure sets, photo frames, and pen trays... covered or sheathed in precious leather. During this period,  watch and jewellery boxes also appear, becoming signature items for the brand, which are still on sale today. They become the "intimate and luxurious companions of everyday French life".

1963

In 1963, on a visit to Belley, General de Gaulle receives a magnificent box-calf desk set and a leather jewellery box for his wife. It is also said that the Aga Khan loved these splendid office accessories.

1978

In the '80s, Le Tanneur launches the TANN's school brand, a runaway success with its slogan "Ta ton Tann's". The company creates its first vanity case and briefcases, bags for men, which they adopt immediately.

1980-1987

The brand is rejuvenated to appeal more to women with the appearance of the first handbag lines. Notably with the launch in 1987 of the "Roland Garros" sports-style line in canvas and leather, with a strong emphasis on colours.

1986

Le Tanneur breaks with tradition to open up to the luxury and fashion markets. Styling is making its mark in the brand, as is colour, with a fashionable feel to its collections, appealing to modern women. The ranges of bags in full-grain calfskin and coated cotton canvas combine all the brand's skills and expertise with exceptional suppleness and details such as stitching and carabiners borrowed from the world of saddlery.

2006

Le Tanneur women travel by plane with luggage designed by Air France and Le Tanneur, a collector's line available in limited editions.

2018

It's been 120 years since Le Tanneur created the Sans Couture.The legendary purse has been reinvented as a handbag in Belley's historic workshops. A new format that reconciles history and modern requirements.The iconic "Sans couture" has survived throughout the brand's lifetime in a purse version destined to become the « 1898 ».

2019

Madeleine is born. Madeleine is our exclusive line, entirely made in France. And to produce it, we give free rein to our expertise. It is made in the Pays de la Loire region from 'taurillon foulonné', an exceptional full-grain calf leather found in the Basque country, in a family tannery in Espelette. This is a silky, supple leather. The brass, gold and palladium fittings are also made in France, a stone's throw from Lake Geneva.

2020

Le Tanneur launches the La Maison concept. It embodies the French art of good living and leather craftsmanship in our shops, telling a story, giving our customers an excellent experience and leaving an imprint on their memories that goes beyond the product itself.

2023

To mark its 125th anniversary, the brand is creating the Le Tanneur museum within its Paris showroom to present a selection of archives and iconic lines and trace its history.

Our story continues to be written every day...

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