The Dreyfuss handbag company began simply as a husband’s gift to his wife. Designer Jerome Dreyfuss began designing handbags in 2002 for his wife, Parisian designer Isabel Marant, and her friends who were interested in logo-free purses. This matrimonial design feat became an overnight sensation, taking the previously little known designer from obscurity to selling out in uber- fashionable stores like Barneys. Soon, Dreyfuss’ utilitarian bags could be seen on the arms of every socialite and fashionista in New York.
Dreyfuss’ bags are often looked at as the antithesis of overly designed bags such as the Balenciaga “Le Dix” and Fendi’s “Spy” bag. Dreyfuss’ bags are made of soft leather and exotic skins purposely made with compartments for everything a woman might need. This attention to functionality and detail can be seen in the “Twee” style with its two side pouches, zippered compartment and hidden interior compartment. Dreyfuss even equips all of his bags with a small leather cord with a tiny flashlight attached to the interior of the bag to help the owner locate anything inside the bag. Now isn’t that simply genius?
Recently, Dreyfuss has opened his first United States store with a store layout and design that is equally as quirky and interesting as the designer bags themselves. The store boasts a store within a store experience with a wood walled cabin inside a larger loft space. This space is made more intimate by the addition of palm trees and furniture, and sculptures purchased from New York City’s MOMA. It’s serisously a sight to see.
Of course, the full experience will be complete when Dreyfuss’s other half, Marant, opens her long-awaited stateside outpost right next door in late April—creating a hotbed of Parisian style. Hide your credit cards accordingly, or you might just end up buying everything you can get your hands on.
