If you’re one of the 75 people in the world who dropped close to a million dollars for a Richard Mille RM 50-03 McLaren F1 watch, you may want a suitably impressive case in which to store your opulent horological gem. Forget foraging at Cartier, Asprey or Smythson. Instead, look closer home, to the Jaipur-based Trunks Company.
I chanced upon their wares at a champagne-swilling polo match in Mumbai a few weeks ago, and was mesmerised by their amazing range of trunks and cases. Using the finest Indian and European materials to hand-craft everything from classic steamer trunks to those for watches and jewellery to bar needs, the brand fashions trunks for all sorts of pleasurable pursuits.
I saw a gorgeous tan-coloured made-to-measure watch trunk with custom metal sentinels to hold watches upright, in interiors made of the finest suede and brass fittings, illuminated by LED. Paritosh Mehta, the 33-year-old co-founder of the company, was at the aforementioned polo match, and he told me trunks have long been a passion for him and his fellow founder, older brother Priyank.
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“Why?” I asked, “Aren’t trunks so last century?” Not so, he countered. “We channel the legacy of trunks to suit contemporary life.” Thinking of the countless pricey Tumis and BRICs stacked up in my closet, I asked him to elaborate.
“We once had a Sikh gentleman commission a trunk for his turbans,” he offered. Okay, my interest was piqued. What else? Trunks for prized pistols and one for a 400-odd pen collection. Paritosh then pointed to a compact bar trunk equipped with Italian crystal glasses and a decanter that was on display. I was suddenly transported to an ‘Out of Africa’ moment, seeing myself in an Yves Saint Laurent 1970s belted khaki safari suit, hair blowing in the wind, with an elephant and giraffe for company as I sipped wine in the middle of the bush. And what if I needed music? Well, Trunks Company builds a high-quality music trunk kitted out with Bose or Bang & Olufsen speakers.
My reverie was interrupted by my Pilates pal Lara Morakhia. “What are you doing here?” I asked, dazzled by her moon-sized solitaire earrings. “I had commissioned a custom-made jewellery trunk from Trunks Company a few years ago and wanted to meet the makers,” she replied.
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Intrigued, I pressed her for more. Lara told me she was tired of going to the bank locker and wanted to wear her jewellery frequently, and so had a five-foot inbuilt trunk wall unit installed at home. She promised to send me photos. What I later saw looked like a treasure chest worthy of any modern-day princess — a leather safe with a large industrial strength brass lock which opened to reveal 20-odd drawers in varying depths swathed in plush purple suede.
With prices ranging from ₹50,000 (for a small poker trunk) to ₹18 lakhs (for a custom-made personalised trunk), the five-year-old brand has gained a following amongst erstwhile maharajas, Middle Eastern potentates, hedge funders, tech titans and other rich folk. These Indian-made trunks are shipped to 15 countries. Until last month, when Trunks Company opened a store at the Rambagh Palace, everyone wound their way through a nondescript industrial area in the heart of Jaipur to the company’s atelier, to place their orders.
Has Louis Vuitton met its Indian match in Trunks Company? It would appear so. Personally, I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these beauties. The Mehta brothers are now looking to branch out to four-wheel suitcases too. Travelling will never be chicer.
This fortnightly column tracks the indulgent pursuits of the one-percenters.