In another life, that is to say in 2004, we ( Anne and Marie-Christine ) set up a brand of small leather goods with a friend, met at Nina Ricci , and who had gone to settle in Cairo, Egypt. There she had met an extremely talented maker of small leather goods.
We then came up with the idea of making small leather goods that were very classic in terms of functions, and very high quality in terms of finishes: split , edged , threaded , etc.
At a time when people chose to match their small leather goods to their bag , the idea was to offer a whole bunch of silver containers in very fancy colors and looks.
The leather was purchased in Spain, notably from Curtidos Badia , a supplier of very colorful cowhides with an exceptional feel.
The question then was: What were we going to call this brand?
It was obvious that this name had to be related to money.
Since we have a decidedly cheeky side, we wanted it to be a slightly offbeat name. Calling it money, dough, or other cash was out of the question, and after several brainstorming sessions, Bandit Manchot was the name that came out!
The term comes from slang and refers to the single arm of the slot machine that must be operated to start the reels spinning. The English term is just as explicit: “ one-armed bandit .”
The success was immediate, and the collection was sold in all the most prestigious Parisian points of sale , but also in Japan and the United States.
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In 2004, social networks did not exist and we had called upon a press officer so effective that we had a plethora of publications which made our name known as a player in the quality and uninhibited small leather goods sector.
The story lasted for some time. The friend left Cairo, and Anne and Marie-Christine moved on to new adventures.
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Meanwhile, Marie-Laure was running the family leather goods business, founded in the 1970s in Graulhet , in the Tarn region. She did a lot of subcontracting there, particularly for Galeries Lafayette . It was within this beautiful brand that all three met: Anne and Marie-Christine designed. Marie-Laure manufactured. (Good) bonds were formed through working together, and that's where the story (re)begins!
Because in 2010, we wanted to launch a brand of leather accessories , this time with upcycled leathers. This brand would be made in France, in Marie-Laure's workshop.
We needed a name. There it was, on a platter :)
So we reuse leathers, but we also know how to reuse names!