118 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 523-8200
Monday to Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 12pm-5pm
The sign of recognition of a Goyard creation is the excellence of the finish, immediately evident to the initiated. Each detail of fabrication speaks of the very special attention paid to quality and whispers absolute exclusivity.
Pierre-François Martin founded the House of Martin in 1792. It specialized in box-making, trunk-making and packing. The house of Martin quickly became a favourite with the French aristocracy, and was eventually granted the prestigious title of official purveyor of HRH Marie-Caroline de Bourbon-Siciles, Duchess of Berry. Pierre François Martin was the guardian of a young female ward, Pauline. He arranged her marriage to one of his employees, Louis-Henri Morel, and gave his business as her dowry.
In 1845, Morel hired François Goyard as an apprentice. The 17-year old boy received training under the guidance of both Martin and Morel. When Morel died suddenly in 1852, François took over, and remained for 32 years at the helm of a house he took to a whole new level. He finally handed over the reins to his son Edmond in 1885.
One of the first things François Goyard did when he took over from Morel was to open state-of-the-art workshops, an opinion shared by Jean-Michel Signoles when he bought Goyard in 1998. A keen collector and connoisseur of all things Goyard, the Signoles family revived Goyard’s heritage and skills and opened new boutiques across Europe, the Americas and Asia. Within a decade, they restored Goyard to its original glory, and firmly re-established it as a beacon of timeless elegance, craftsmanship and exclusivity.