HERITAGE

For almost 150 years, S.T. Dupont has been synonymous with luxury – combining creativity, uncompromising quality and unique expertise passed down from generation to generation.

Learn all about our Maison's fascinating history in a few key dates!

THE BEGINNINGS

As Napoleon III’s photographer and a pioneering spirit with a keen eye for aesthetics, in 1872, aged just 25, Simon Tissot Dupont opened his first leatherwork shop in Paris.

His personalised travel trunks soon became the ultimate accessory for Europe’s elite. The leading shops of the late nineteenth century, such as the Grand Magasins du Louvre, selected him as a supplier, and personalities such as Eugénie de Montijo ordered her vanity case from Dupont.

A WORKSHOP IN FAVERGES

Lucien and André, Simon Tissot Dupont’s sons, took the reins in 1919 and decided in 1924 to move the Parisian workshop to the family home in Faverges, in Haute-Savoie. With the new workshop located beside Lake Annecy, Europe’s purest lake, S.T. Dupont products are manufactured in one of France’s most remarkable natural environments.

THE INNOVATIONS THAT MADE THE MAISON FAMOUS

The Maison Dupont distinguishes itself through its remarkable capacity for reinvention, manifesting through numerous innovations. This journey of continual evolution spans from its development of the pioneering diamond powder tanning technique in 1930, to its mastery of the art of applying Chinese lacquer on metal, a secret it holds exclusively to this day.

During the tumultuous times of the Second World War, the Tissot Dupont brothers ingeniously engineered the first luxury petrol lighter. In 1952, the Maison ushered in a technical revolution with the introduction of the first luxury gas lighter, which uniquely offered the ability to adjust the flame intensity via a small lever.

Striving to meet the high expectations of its discerning clientele, the Maison S.T. Dupont, in 1973, responded to a request from Jackie Kennedy Onassis by creating the first luxury ballpoint pen, further cementing its reputation for pioneering luxury goods.

S.T. DUPONT: THE “TRUNK-MAKER OF KINGS”

As early as 1934, the Maison was lauded as the "Luggage-maker of Kings" by the press. From crowned heads and cinema legends to fashion icons, industrial fortunes, and political figures, all were welcomed at the Parisian headquarters by Lucien and his staff, with the care and consideration they deserved.

Among the illustrious clients of the Maison was the Duchess of Windsor, who in 1945, commissioned a custom travel trunk. Two years later, the iconic "Bogie" was born, following an order from the Hollywood actor Humphrey Bogart. That same year, S.T. Dupont manufactured the last travel trunk in its history for Princess Elizabeth of England on the occasion of her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh.

In 1953, André Tissot Dupont envisioned for Audrey Hepburn the "Riviera", a handbag equipped with a secret drawer, further showcasing the Maison's unique blend of luxury and innovation.

Closely linked to the world of art, S.T. Dupont has engaged in numerous collaborations.