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Belber is a heritage American leather goods company founded in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
in 1891.


History


Foundation

The Belber company was established in 1891. Its founders, Aaron and Henry Belber, scraped together $200 and started making luggage in a
South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west."." ''City of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 8, ...
basement. The Belber brothers, ages 14 and 17, worked 10 hours a day, six days a week, hand-stitching luggage.


History

The Belber brothers opened their first factory in 1903. The Belber brothers were soon joined by their 2 other brothers, Herman and Maurice. In 1919, the Belber Trunk and Bag Company acquired the Oshkosh Trunk Company and became one of the world's biggest manufacturers of traveling goods. In 1920, the company purchased the Larkin Building on Arch Street in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
to house its main office, a factory and a salesroom. In addition, Belber built a national network of production, distribution and direct sales by 1926, including manufacturing plants at Woodbury and Newark,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, Oshkosh and
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, as well as branch warehouses and offices in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
,
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
,
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. The Belber Trunk and Bag Company continued its expansion by acquiring the Schmit Bros. Trunk Company (which included the Eagle Trunk Company) in 1926"Billhead of the Month: Schmit Bros trunks Oshkosh WI".
The Ephemera of Business Blog. March 22, 2011 and the trunkmakers
Innovation Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or service (economics), services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a n ...
and Neverbreak in the 1930s. In 1930, Belber moved its headquarters to
Woodbury, New Jersey Woodbury is a city in and the county seat of Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
, into a building that used to house the Blasius piano factory. In 1947, Belber closed its plant in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
and transferred all its activities to
Woodbury, New Jersey Woodbury is a city in and the county seat of Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
. In the 1950s, Belber started to lose momentum with the development of air travel and eventually went dormant in the middle of the 1970s. In 2013, a group of entrepreneurs acquired Belber with plans to revive the brand. In early 2016, a collection of bags and accessories was launched.


Products

In the
roaring twenties The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western world, Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultura ...
, Belber's trunks, suitcases and collapsible silk cord hangers were symbols of luxury travel. The Belber brothers were determined to revolutionize the idea of the journey, developing a “luggage consciousness” to convince customers that the bag was just as important as what went inside it. People began to want to look good when they traveled and only the extremely wealthy could afford to do so during this period. However, with the production of Belber goods, the concept of "traveling in style" was made accessible to ordinary consumers.


Innovations and patents

Between 1907 and 1935, Belber registered up to 80 patents in the U.S. for various technical product innovations. Some of the exclusive and patented Belber devices included the "Belber Safe Lock" enabling an easy opening and closing of the trunk, the "Belber Curtain Follower" (attached to the back of the trunk and holding firmly in place the garments by a rod inserted into a graduated ratchet) and multiple Drawer Locking Devices. Belber advertised in nationally circulated magazines, touting its luggage as "as modern as tomorrow."


Advertising

The Belber brothers were all about showing America that a bag was all about personality and they did this by spreading the word through illustrated magazine and newspaper ads. Early precursors to the advertising heyday of Madison Avenue. The Belber advertisements were just as much about the American dream of social mobility as they were about how to live and dress well. Belber ads were written to be inspirational and aspirational. "With vision and expectancy, your travel plans are born." Matched with magnificence, superbly designed Belber canvas and leather-bound luggage gives stately expression to your travel luxury,” reads one for Belber’s luggage ads. “Your trunk is brought to your room. You unlock it. Swing it open. There, all your clothes fresh and dainty as when you put them in. Everything in its place, nothing missed. No unpacking to do, no trouble at all. You are at home and settled at once,” promises another from the 1920s. In the 1940s, to advertise its new collections, the Belber brothers also helped invent the concept of product tie-ins and product placement, partnering with Hollywood Stars such as
Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. He is often remembered for his portrayal of an alcoholic writer in Billy Wilder's ''The Lost Weekend'' (1945), which wo ...
in the movie The Big Clock (film) and
Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in ...
in the movie Saigon (1948 film).


The Belber Building

Belber occupied the Larkin-Belber Building from 1920 to 1947. It was a large industrial facility with 4,430,000 cubic feet and 295,360 square feet of floor space on twelve floors located at 22nd St and Arch St in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. ''Note:'' This includes Belber operated a showroom and a store on the first floor of the building while the rail spur off the Schuylkill Expressway linked the firm to its national market. The firm hired local architect Leroy Berman Rothschild to place Belber's own stamp on the building. Rothshild designed large rooftop signs placed along the sides of the building. In its architecture as well as its integration of manufacturing, office work, and retail functions, the Belber Building represented a "landmark of twentieth century commerce and industry."


See also

*
Goyard Goyard is a French trunk maker founded in 1853 in Paris. The company originated as Maison Morel, which was later acquired by François Goyard (1828-1890), establishing the Goyard family in the trade of trunk making and luxury packing. His son E ...
*
Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...
* Moynat * Hartmann * Mark Cross


References

{{Reflist


External links


Official Brand Website
* Video on the history of Belbe

Luggage manufacturers Leather goods Luggage brands American brands Fashion accessory companies Luxury brands Manufacturing companies based in Pennsylvania Manufacturing companies established in 1891 Bags (fashion) 2010s fashion 1891 establishments in Pennsylvania