The perfumed glove.
Before perfumery was a craft of its own, it was a finish for leather. Our gloves, wallets and card cases return to that union — made to be carried every day, and to age with the hand that holds them.
Plate II.1 — Le Gant de Grasse
The first pieces
Four objects, carried daily.
A short history
Grasse, where perfume began in leather.
XVI
Scented gloves reach the French court
Perfumed gloves become the most coveted accessory of the European elite — a gift between princes.
XVII
The gantiers-parfumeurs of Grasse
Glove-makers in Grasse, a tanning town, scent their leather with jasmine, rose and orange blossom. They are recognised as a guild of glovers and perfumers.
XVIII
Perfume leaves the glove
As tanning declines in Grasse, the perfumers stay. The town becomes the capital of French perfumery.
Now
The glove returns to the house
Maison Stravers brings the two crafts back together: leather made to be carried, finished with the house scent.
Materials & making
Leather that keeps a record.
- Vegetable-tanned calfskin
- Tanned slowly with plant tannins. It darkens, softens and records the life of its owner — the patina is the point.
- Nappa lambskin
- Fine-grained and supple enough for an unlined glove that follows the hand on a wooden wheel.
- Saddle stitch
- Worked by hand with two needles, so that a single broken thread never unravels the seam.
- Painted edges
- Burnished and painted in several coats — the detail that separates a leather object from a leather product.
Client service
Questions
What is Maison Stravers?
Maison Stravers is a founder-led luxury house with French family roots in the Périgord. It makes the objects carried closest to the body: eaux de parfum composed in France, and leather goods — gloves, wallets and card cases — in the tradition of the perfumed gloves of Grasse. Watches and knives are in development.
Why does a fragrance house make leather goods?
Because the two crafts began as one. In Grasse, glove-makers perfumed their leather to mask the smell of the tannery, and in the seventeenth century the gantiers-parfumeurs were recognised as a guild. Modern French perfumery grew out of the glove. Our leather goods return to that origin.
When will the leather goods be available?
The leather collection is in the atelier. Register your interest on any leather piece and you will be among the first to hear when it is ready.
Do you ship internationally?
We ship within the Netherlands and the European Union. Shipping is free from €75; below that a flat €6.95 applies.
Can I return an order?
Unopened items can be returned free of charge within 14 days. Write to [email protected] for a return label.