The Goyardine, an emblematic canvas

The origins of the Goyardine canvas: the log drivers of the Morvan Forest

The Goyard family originates from the town of Clamecy in Burgundy, where male family members traditionally worked as log drivers.
They were members of the Compagnons de Rivière (French for “Companions of the River”), a guild of transporters that moved firewood by inland waterways from the vast forests of the Morvan to Paris.

Edmond Goyard was heavily influenced & inspired by his family’s history when he created the Goyardine canvas in 1892: the piled-up dot pattern clearly hints at the log drives guided by his ancestors, while the Goyardine is derived from Poutangris, a natural coated cloth mixing linen and cotton used by the Compagnons de Rivières to cut the Biaudes, their traditional working garments.

Altogether hard-wearing, flexible and waterproof, the Goyardine proved to be a true technical revolution at a time when other trunk-makers were still using plain linen cloth.

A unique and secret crafting process

As is the case for all treasured family secrets, the exact manufacturing process of the Goyardine canvas remains strictly confidential.
The original methods are still in use today. They require a ground-colour application on the bare linen & cotton canvas, followed by three successive layers of etched colours through screen printing process, which combine to create its trademark embossed pattern and confers on the Goyardine the unique capacity to age gracefully, and to acquire a patina as time goes by.

The production of the Goyardine stopped after WWII and was only resumed when Jean-Michel Signoles took over in 1998.

A RICH AND UNIQUE COLOUR PALETTE

Upon his arrival at the helm of the Maison, Jean-Michel Signoles decided to introduce eleven new colours in addition to the historic black shade: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Sky-Blue, Navy Blue, Burgundy, Grey and White, Silver and Gold. In addition to these permanent colours, temporary limited-edition hues are regularly introduced, which has fast become a veritable cult colour among Goyard connoisseurs.