Our story

The essence of Maison Bonnamour: a tribute to sensitivity and exceptional French craftsmanship

The story of Maison Bonnamour is first and foremost one of desire, intuition and perseverance. For designer Pascale Bonnamour, it began one summer evening in 2016, when she returned from vacation. I was looking for a beautiful book protector to protect my literature books because I have a very personal relationship with books. As a teenager, they were my most faithful friends.

The object I’m looking for, the e-reader, hasn’t existed for at least 30 years. It only exists in a fabric version. No luxury leather goods house offers it either. So I decided to create a first prototype that would fit all thicknesses and heights of literature book, with a magnetic closure to modernize it.

“It’s a real personal challenge”

In secondary school, I was bottom of the class in handicrafts, which left me with a deep-seated complex about my practical intelligence. To my astonishment, I discovered the pleasure of creating this first cardboard prototype, in my spare time. An activity that fills me with serenity and fulfillment.

But for weeks, I still couldn’t come up with a solution for a magnetic fastener that would perfectly fit the thickness of each book.

Sometimes, the simplest solutions are right in front of you, it’s just a matter of chance putting them together, as if by magic. On this particular day, magnets were scattered across my kitchen table, next to the cardboard prototype on which I had carelessly placed my iron ruler.A magnet then spontaneously positioned itself horizontally on the ruler placed on the prototype, then the golden bar that forms the closure of the book cover was in turn attracted by the magnet.

“I’ve finally found the solution: the cover will fit any thickness of book perfectly”.

I then worked with a Parisian leatherworker to make a first leather prototype. It was beautiful but dramatically heavy. And I had to find magnets that were stronger than expected.

Aware of ecological issues, I set out to find a material that would have the least impact on the environment and be as light as possible, while still being very strong. Through a matériauthèque-type book, I discovered appleskin, invented by Italians. I then contacted the French pioneers of apple-based vegan neo-leather, the Camille brand, who had just opened a boutique in Paris. I bought 1 m2 of black appleskin from them to make a first prototype. Together with my leatherworker, we discovered the lightness and hard-wearing nature of this material, which doesn’t fear water, doesn’t scratch and can be cleaned simply with soap and water.

“I’ve always loved the color and aristocratic softness of velvet”.

Velvet captures and plays wonderfully with light, and I love its reflections. I find that touch is too often neglected in design. And that’s how I came up with the idea of fusing the sensuality of velvet with appleskin. I’ve seen how velvet’s softness has powerful soothing and reassuring properties. It was, however, a technical challenge to marry velvet with apple neo-leather, requiring a high level of craftsmanship that only the best French ateliers are capable of, drawing on their powerful tradition of excellence.

As a result, the asymmetrical velvet piece is today the exclusive signature of the Maison, transporting us into a contemporary vision of French luxury, a marriage of the rare, the sublime and the ecologically virtuous.”

In 2020, Maison Bonnamour unveiled its first collection around culture and travel: singular objects exclusively made in France and the affirmed desire to decarbonize haute maroquinerie thanks to new vegan materials, respectful of animal well-being.

Le Trompe-l’Oeil noire et vert forêt de la Maison Bonnamour[/caption]

“Lightness, refinement and softness of touch”.

In 2023, the “L’insoutenable légèreté” bag is selected for Révélations, the International Biennial of Crafts at the ephemeral Grand Palais in Paris.

In 2024, the House protects its innovative “Trompe-l’Oeil” model, the only handbag in the world that opens from the back. Chanel also rewarded the designer for her eco-responsible entrepreneurial approach.

Today, lightness, refinement and softness of touch are the mainstays of all Maison Bonnamour creations, in keeping with the great tradition of French elegance. This spirit of innovation is perfectly matched by the desire to forge a personalized, lasting relationship with the Maison’s customers by offering them exclusive services.

Convinced of the exceptional durability of our apple and corn neo-leather materials, we offer a lifetime guarantee on all Maison Bonnamour handbags. For an ever more desirable future, in the image of the famous hummingbird legend, which reminds us that everyone can “do their bit” to overcome the climate crisis.