Ateliers Auguste and DeMellier are the two contemporary houses most often shortlisted together for a structured everyday bag under the heritage prices. Ateliers Auguste is Paris-designed and Italian-made in box calf with an engraved plaque; DeMellier is London-designed, made in Spain and Italy, in a wider range of leathers and colours, with a donation to child health with every bag. Both are at Luxury Shoes , 73 Ateliers Auguste bags from $730 and 141 DeMellier bags from $552. This page compares them on design, make, price and range.
Key facts
- Ateliers Auguste: Paris, brothers Laurent and Xavier Valembert, made in Italy, 15 models, five neutral shades.
- DeMellier: London, founded by Mireia Llusia-Lindh in 2012, made in Spain and Italy, a wider range of shapes and colours, a donation with every bag.
- Price at Luxury Shoes : Ateliers Auguste $730 to $1,350; DeMellier from $552.
- Hardware: Ateliers Auguste engraved plaque and clasp; DeMellier a small metal logo and hardware that varies by style.
- Ateliers Auguste: one leather guide, five leathers, gold and silver hardware. DeMellier: smooth, grained, suede, croc-embossed and raffia.
- Both are on Luxury Handbags with authenticity verified before dispatch.
Design
Ateliers Auguste is the narrower, more architectural house: 15 models, every one a rectangle, trapezoid, baguette and tote with the same plaque, the same feet and the same microsuede lining. DeMellier is broader, with the Vancouver, the Montreal, the New York and the Tokyo among many, more colours a season and more hardware. If you want one quiet shape you will keep, Ateliers Auguste; if you want a bag that changes with the season, DeMellier.
Make
Ateliers Auguste makes every handbag in Italy from northern Italian calf at an LWG-certified tannery and publishes the four-hours-a-bag figure. DeMellier makes in Spain and Italy and is explicit about which factory each style comes from. Both are well made; the Ateliers Auguste structure is stiffer, the DeMellier softer.
Price
Ateliers Auguste runs $730 to $1,350 at Luxury Shoes , DeMellier from $552 upward, so the entry price is close and DeMellier reaches a little lower on its smallest bags. Model for model, the Mini Marly at $1,120 and the Sévigné at $1,260 sit in the same band as DeMellier’s equivalent top-handle and tote.
Model against model
For a small shoulder bag, the Mini Monceau at $970 against DeMellier’s Mini Vancouver: box calf on a curved base with the plaque, against softer calf with a flap and a small logo. For the top handle, the Mini Marly at $1,120 against the Mini Montreal: a trapeze with a rolled handle, against a boxy body with a top handle and a longer strap. For a work tote, the Sévigné at $1,260 against the Tokyo: both laptop-sized, the Sévigné on feet with a zip and two pockets in pebble calf, the Tokyo softer with a magnetic closure. For a crossbody, the Roquette at $870 against the Nano Montreal. In each pair the Ateliers Auguste bag is the stiffer and quieter one and the DeMellier the softer and the more colourful.
Warranty and service
Ateliers Auguste guarantees its bags for one year against manufacturing defects and repairs them afterwards for a contribution of 30 to 75 euros with about four weeks in the Italian workshop. DeMellier offers repairs through its customer service and gives a donation to child health with every bag sold. Both houses ship worldwide from their own sites; Luxury Handbags ships both express from its UAE and Australia hubs with authenticity verified before dispatch.
Which to choose
Ateliers Auguste for the architecture, the Italian box calf and the engraved plaque; DeMellier for the colour range, the softer shapes and the giving programme. Both are honest about make and neither discounts its core range. The brands-like page sets the two beside Strathberry, ATP Atelier and the others in the same band.
“Trust is more valuable than marketing,” Laurent Valembert told Style Essentials in March 2026. “We prefer consistency over expansion.”
Frequently asked questions
Is DeMellier cheaper than Ateliers Auguste?
At the entry it is close: DeMellier from $552 and Ateliers Auguste from $730 at Luxury Shoes . DeMellier reaches lower on its smallest bags and higher on its largest.
Where is DeMellier made?
In Spain and Italy; the brand states the factory on each style. Ateliers Auguste bags are all made in Italy.
Which brand has more choice?
DeMellier, in shapes, leathers and colours. Ateliers Auguste keeps to 15 models in five neutral shades.
Which is more structured?
Ateliers Auguste. Its bags are reinforced to stand up empty on metal feet; most DeMellier styles are softer.
Are both brands at Luxury Shoes ?
Yes. Luxury Handbags stocks 73 Ateliers Auguste bags and 141 DeMellier bags, both with authenticity verified before dispatch.
Read next
Ateliers Auguste vs Polene. Brands like Ateliers Auguste. Every model.
More Ateliers Auguste guides
Every Ateliers Auguste page by Luxury Shoes ’s fashion editor Gemma Deeks: Brands like Ateliers Auguste, Who is Ateliers Auguste?, Bag guide, Bag sizes, Is it worth it?, Leathers and care, Gold vs Silver Edition, Colours, Where to buy, vs Polène, New arrivals 2026, Best bag for work, Review, Sévigné review, Mini Sévigné vs Sévigné, Mini Marly review, Marly review, Monceau guide, Roquette review, Capucine review, Marceau review, Alma review, Amelot review, Passy East West review.
Sources and method
Checked on 19 September 2026 by Gemma Deeks, fashion editor at Luxury Shoes . Product facts, the dimensions, handle drops, weights, leathers, linings and country of manufacture, are the brand’s own product-page text; prices and price ranges are Luxury Shoes ’s live catalogue on that date and move with stock; the founders’ story comes from the brand’s own pages and the two interviews listed below, each read on the date above. The founding year is given two ways in the sources and the page says so. Where a claim could not be checked against one of these it was left out, and where the fitting room is giving its own advice the page says so.
- ateliersauguste.com, Our story: the house’s own account of its founding by two brothers, the women’s line since 2018, the architects it cites, the Italian tanneries, REACH and LWG
- ateliersauguste.com, Ateliers: the workshops in the Venetian countryside, the four hours of work per bag, the small leather goods made in Porto
- ateliersauguste.com, Care: the brand’s own use and care recommendations
- ateliersauguste.com, FAQ: guarantee, returns, delivery times and the countries where duties are included
- ateliersauguste.com, Paris: the boutique at 8 rue de Turenne, its hours and the tax refund
- ateliersauguste.com, Warranty: the one-year guarantee and the repair service
- ateliersauguste.com, Spring/Summer 26 Collection: the smooth-leather Passy, Sevigne and Mini Sevigne launch
- Ateliers Auguste product pages: dimensions, handle drop, weight, leather, lining and country of manufacture of every bag (121 pages read on 19 September 2026)
- Kismet, 14 December 2025: Ateliers Auguste, Architecture, Integrity, and the Quiet Power of Timeless Design (interview with Xavier Valembert)
- Style Essentials, 9 March 2026: Why Laurent and Xavier Valembert Chose Precision Over Fashion (interview)
- Luxury Handbags live catalogue, 19 September 2026: prices and stock
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