Following the Gourmet Suitcase, DS Automobiles presents a new version with the “Picnic Basket”, also hand-made by La Malle Bernard, the oldest box and crate manufacturer still operating in France under the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant brand.
After the Gourmet Suitcase for French Gastronomy, which is registered in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List, DS Automobiles is now launching the “Picnic Basket”, reflecting the delicacy, taste and sincerity of the French lifestyle. Thanks to the diversity and richness of regional cuisine specialties, which attract tourists from all over the world, gastronomy, which the French are proud of and owes its reputation, appeals to those who want to enjoy this unique experience with DS Automobiles.
Like the Gourmet Suitcase, the DS Automobiles Picnic Basket, designed by DS Design Studio Paris and La Malle Bernard, features precious materials upholstered in Nappa leather in Pearl Gray and high-quality interior lining panels made of poplar barrels, similar to the Esprit De Voyage Collection. It also features the embossed “Esprit De Voyage” signature taken from the collection offered with DS 4, DS 7 and DS 9. In other details, the touches that reveal the expertise with the Clous de Paris embossed spacers on the handles, nickel-plated hooks and hand-sewn leather strap handles draw attention. Each basket is handcrafted by La Malle Bernard after hours of work.
Each basket can be personalized with the initials of La Malle Bernard's atelier to match customers' vehicle model. While the DS Automobiles Picnic Basket is designed for a four-person lunch outdoors with a wide variety of parts and main accessories, it contains almost every detail. The contents of the DS Automobiles Picnic Basket are:
“Four Bento boxes with three waterproof compartments for starters/mains/desserts,
Four cutlery sets,
Four wine glasses
Walnut wood cutting board to put the glasses,
Four cotton and linen napkins by Guy Degrenne,
Set of four salt/pepper/oil/vinegar,
One insulated bottle,
One large glass dessert jar,
A set of spoons for serving dessert,
Claude Dozorme signed chrome Laguiole knife with aluminum handle,
One L'Atelier du Vin corkscrew.”
DS Automobiles Picnic Basket and Gourmet Luggage is produced by La Malle Bernard, the world's oldest box and suitcase manufacturer, still operating in France and under the signature of the French Government's “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant”. The brand's first founding step was taken when Jules Bernard and Caroline Simon displayed their expertise in a workshop established in Paris in 1846, after working in the Louvre's department stores. La Malle Bernard became known at the turn of the 20th century for its black coated suitcases designed to carry and display items of all forms. In the 1930s, La Malle Bernard specialized in making car trunks for use in roofs and trunks of automobile models. These trunks were custom made of canvas fabric in the same color as the body part. It contained at most two suitcases. This design allowed passengers to leave the trunk securely attached to the rear of the vehicle and easily remove the two protected suitcases from inside. A traditional family business, La Malle Bernard has a shop in Paris and workshops in Normandy.