Introduction
In 1872 Simon Tissot Dupont bought a workshop that created leather briefcases for diplomats and businessmen, thus founding the company that took his name. After he handed his business over to his two sons in 1919, the company focused on high quality travel cases and accessories. By 1930, the company was using only the most noble of materials: crocodile skin, ivory, tortoiseshell, gold, and silver to produce elaborate cases for their clients, which included the French aristocracy, kings, emperors, maharajahs, and bankers. In 1935 they replaced the enamel in their cases with lacquer, and enlisted the assistance of a Russian who had learned the craft on his travels to China. Ever since, S.T. Dupont’s trademark has been the precise art of lacquer. They eventually diversified by developing lighters and pens and secured their reputation with luxury pieces made from precious metals and some of the finest Chinese lacquer work in the world. The company is still based in Faverges, Dupont's family home at the base of the French Alps.