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Fred Pinel, the creator

Who is FRED PINEL?

Fred Pinel is the founder and artistic director of the brand Pinel et Pinel, specialized in the manufacturing of luxury trunks, cases, and leather goods.

Driven by his passion for beautiful objects, contemporary art, and craftsmanship, he revolutionized the concept of trunks by giving them a new dimension, combining functionality, aesthetics, and exceptional quality with unexpected themes such as the Bonsai trunk or the Arcade trunk. His creations stand out for their elegant design, impeccable finishes, and the use of high-quality materials. As a creator filled with sensitivity and humor, he has reimagined the classical codes of trunk-making and the leather goods industry, infusing them with a contemporary and daring touch.

Over the years, Fred Pinel has collaborated with renowned brands and carried out custom projects for prestigious clients. His trunks and cases are highly sought after by luxury and exceptional craftsmanship enthusiasts worldwide.

The Story Unveiled

Since the age of 10, when Fred would ride his bike home from school, he would take a detour down a street where, in front of a stranger's house, there stood a garbage can emitting a sublime smell. Inside, there was an abundance of leather scraps that he would bring back to his parents' house to "tinker with." These fragments of materials and their touch, along with his grandfather's workshop and its scent of hot glue, awakened his senses. It was a "sentimental education" that also involved discovering the world of flea markets and exploring the wardrobes of his mother and grandmother, who were passionate about handbags. And, the icing on the cake, his father's collection of Camille Tharaud's grand feu enamels, with their astonishing color palette. This was his intimate initiation into the world of the senses, where his addictions crystallized and "a certain way of drawing everything that passed through his hands" took shape.

On the day of his baccalaureate exams, with a focus on drawing, Fred Pinel created a peculiar portrait of Picasso in shades of blue, paying tribute to his Blue Period. He superimposed a second violet portrait cut out and glued on top, earning him a score of 18/20 and revealing an innate taste for creative detours.

This period of life allowed him to proceed by elimination: to realize what he didn't want to do in order to discover what he wanted to do. Namely, "to put stars in people's eyes." Allergic to banality, his journey continuously brought him closer to this "university of marvels" called luxury. Breaking the rules became his mantra. It's safe to say that his first year of law school was a failure. He went to England and immersed himself in the cauldron of the London avant-garde. Upon his return, he started a small advertising agency. It wasn't his thing.

THE REVELATION

The scene takes place in a family home in the Paris region, where Fred's grandparents held open house every weekend during his childhood. With fireworks in the garden and thanks to a grandfather who made all sorts of practical jokes, the immense attic resembled Ali Baba's cave. And of course, there were suitcases. One suitcase fascinated him. Years later, Fred Pinel rediscovered it when the house was about to be sold. A "revelation," he says. Once transformed, the suitcase, equipped with a hand-sewn handle thanks to the complicity of a master craftsman from France, would serve as a case for his first collection of cigar cases.

Towards the late 1990s, Fred began creating a few leather and camouflage fabric bags, but he was not yet recognized as a designer. Later on, he had the idea of buying exotic leather scraps from a prestigious French luxury house. This was when he truly delved into leather goods, with an impressive palette of 157 colors for crocodile cigar cases. Colette, the famous Parisian concept store, quickly fell in love with them and began distributing them. Adopted by cigar enthusiasts worldwide, his range expanded to include cigar humidors, lighter cases, cardholders, watch straps, and cufflinks. Then came the first trunks...

PINEL et PINEL was born.