Au Départ is a Parisian trunk maker founded in 1834. Au Départ is regularly cited as one of the four largest French trunk makers alongside Louis Vuitton, Goyard and Moynat. The Au Départ brand, located at 7 boulevard de Denain in Paris near the train station Gare du Nord, was taken over by two brothers, Ernest (born in 1846) and Paul BERTIN (born in 1854). They founded the Maison Bertin Frères in 1871. In the store on Boulevard de Denain, they specialize in the sale of arms, ammunition and travel, hunting and fishing items. The specialized travel section offers many types of trunks, leather suitcases, handbags, and trimmed cases. The Bertin Frères business prospered and an Au Départ branch was opened at 29, avenue de l'Opéra in 1874. The shop specializes in travel and leather goods which are made in workshops in Belleville run by the Bertin brothers. Au Départ reached its peak in the 1920s under the leadership of François BERTIN, son of Paul BERTIN, who now runs the House. To distinguish its products, Au Départ will cover some of its items with a bias-mounted checkerboard canvas which will be an alternative to the monogrammed fabrics offered by the Louis Vuitton and Goyard Houses. Au Départ will also be active in the promotion of its products by publishing regularly in "L'Illustration" advertisements under the theme "Un beau voyage commence" ("A beautiful journey begins"). In 1928, Au Départ was selected to appear with a hundred other luxury houses in the very prestigious "Pan - Annuaire du Luxe" in Paris, produced under the direction of Paul POIRET and edited by Maison Devambez.