Mark Cross (brand)

Mark Cross is an American luxury leather goods brand. Founded in 1845, the company started as a bridle, harness, and saddle maker before transitioning to luxury leather goods.[1]

Mark Cross
TypePrivate
IndustryLuxury leather goods
Founded1845
ProductsHandbags

History

Mark Cross opened its doors in Boston in 1845, eventually moving its headquarters to New York. Soon after, employee Patrick Murphy purchased Mark Cross and expanded the product offering to luxury leather goods.[2]

Patrick’s son, Gerald, took over as the company’s president in 1934 after years of living abroad.[2] Before leading Mark Cross, Gerald and his wife Sara were wealthy expatriates living at Cap d'Antibes and forming relationships with many artists and writers of the Lost Generation.[3]

Gerald’s friendship with Alfred Hitchcock led to him to design an overnight case for Grace Kelly’s character in “Rear Window,” an early example of product placement in film.[3] Later, one with Lee Iacocca led to Mark Cross branding being used on 1980s Chrysler cars equipped with leather upholstery.


After the Murphys sold the business, Mark Cross went through a succession of different ownership until it was shut down in the late 1990s by its then-owner Sara Lee. It remained dormant until it was relaunched in 2011 by new owner Neal J Fox, who produces the products in the same Italian factories as the company did over 40 years prior.[4]

References
  1. Chapin, Adele (August 17, 2016). "How a 171-Year-Old Company Found Their 'It Bag'". Racked. Vox Media. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  2. Cohen, Lisa, All We Know: Three Lives, New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2013. ISBN 978-0374534486
  3. Gidick, Sarah (September 22, 2017). "The Mark Cross Grace Box Gets an Arty Update". The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  4. Armstrong, Lisa (September 10, 2016). "First Grace Kelly, now Taylor Swift: How Mark Cross- a handbag brand that fashion forgot- made a beguiling comeback". The Telegraph. The Telegraph. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
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