Some say it’s bad luck to give someone an empty wallet.
But for luxury leather goods manufacturer Royce, an empty wallet built a business.
Based in Secaucus, New Jersey, Royce’s roots date from 1944, when leather artisan Eugene Bauer, an Austrian immigrant, handcrafted a classic leather wallet. Some 70 years later, this product is the underpinning of a fourth-generation company.
Royce, a wholesaler to the e-commerce, corporate and retail markets, offers an array of travel leather goods for men and women, including cases for identification cards, credit cards and passports, cosmetic bags and luggage, in various colors, sizes and styles.
All of its products, which are handmade primarily of American calfskin leather, boast clean lines and superior quality.
“We’re all about empowering you and making the journey easier,” says William Bauer, managing director of Royce.
Royce may pride itself on the traditional artistry of its products, but it’s also cognizant of consumers’ growing safety and security needs. In addition to classic wallets, Royce offers tech items, like a wallet containing a shield that prevents hackers from electronically reading your credit cards.
For modern convenience, Royce also offers a “Power Bank Charging Luxury Backpack,” one of its most popular items this season. The leather backpack contains a built-in power source and USB cable for on-the-go cell phone charging.
“You can be walking through Manhattan using your phone while it’s actually charging from the backpack,” says Bauer. “It makes traveling and commutes much more convenient.”
For a signature touch, all of Royce’s products offer an engraving option. It’s a two-minute process in which the company’s expert craftsmen use a 24-karat gold foil combined with hand pressure to leave an everlasting mark, like initials, full names or messages, on the product.
It’s also an experience, because at Royce’s locations — at all Lord & Taylor stores — engraving is done instantaneously.
“It’s something that offers a truly gratifying experience, because customers can see it being done in front of them,” Bauer says.
The presence of these locations and on-site engravings is new for Royce, as is its name. The company, formerly the Emporium Leather Co. Inc., was strictly a private manufacturer for other brands, corporate work and custom orders until its recent transition directly into consumer markets.
According to Bauer, the Lord & Taylor, at 424 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan is Royce’s “predominant engraving spot,” but engraving can be done at other Lord & Taylor locations.
For more, visit royceleathergifts.com.
