The artistic trunks were first displayed at the Maison Guerlain on the Champs-Élysées from December 2013 through February 2014 and later featured in Guerlain’s Exclusive Line Doors exhibitions in 2014, documented through both photographs and videos. These creations were destined not only as collector pieces but also to support the “Maîtres d’art – Students” initiative, ensuring that rare, exceptional skills are passed from master artists to apprentices under the supervision of the INMA.
Serge Amoruso, a Maître d’art specializing in rare leathers and trained at Hermès in traditional historical leather techniques, contributed a particularly striking trunk. His design, La Malle de Voyage (“The Travel Trunk”), is presented as two identical sections, split like a lightning bolt or a broken mold, evoking both movement and energy. The materials chosen are extraordinary: sumptuous red Morocco leather, delicately stamped parchment on the interior, midnight blue shagreen, and contrasting carbon fiber on the exterior. A fragment of meteorite crowns the trunk, symbolically opening the “doors of time” and infusing the work with a celestial, almost otherworldly allure.
Every element of La Malle de Voyage balances tradition and modernity, merging historical craftsmanship with contemporary artistic vision. The trunk exemplifies Guerlain’s dedication to artistic excellence and the preservation of rare artisanal skills, transforming the perfume bottle into a sculptural, narrative object that embodies both luxury and imagination.
