On November 16th, considered luxury house Maison Motema unveiled its debut collection at 419 Broome Street in SoHo, New York City — a gathering shaped by women, craft, and the quiet elegance of pieces made to live and grow with them.
From the moment the doors opened, the space filled with an energy that felt familiar and new at once. Women arrived from different worlds — creatives, diplomats, stylists, founders — each drawn to something deeper than fashion. They came for the story behind the work. The hands behind the leather. The bronze shaped in Dakar. The spirit of a brand that honors movement, intention, and the lives women lead.
What resonated most was how naturally the pieces connected with them.
These bags were not designed to sit on a shelf; they were made to accompany women through airports, workdays, dinners, new cities, new chapters. They are objects that hold rhythm, light, and memory — the way true luxury should.
Every curve, stitch, and bronze detail carries the imprint of the artisans who sew by hand, the metalworkers who shape bronze the same way their fathers and grandfathers did, the small ateliers where each piece passes through human hands. Their craftsmanship was present in every conversation. Guests asked about the artisans, wanted to know their names, their stories, their techniques — and that, more than anything, affirmed the heart of Maison Motema.
Pieces sold out quickly.
The bestseller, the Maam bag, resonated across ages. The Zale bag spoke to those who love structure. The Pochette bag found its home with women who understand that minimalism can be deeply expressive.
And at the center of this debut stands founder Verlaine-Diane Soobroydoo, whose vision guides the brand. For her, Maison Motema is more than an aesthetic — it is a philosophy. It is the belief that true luxury is considered, intentional, and profoundly human. She created these pieces for women who move through the world with purpose, women who need objects that match their rhythm, their ambition, their softness, their power. Her own life — lived between continents, cultures, and callings — shaped a brand built for women who travel, grow, evolve, and carry stories with them. Maison Motema is her way of honoring artisanship, heritage, and the lived beauty of women’s journeys.
But beyond sales and silhouettes, what stood out were the conversations: women sharing memories of their travels, speaking about legacy, about finding objects that feel like anchors in a fast world. Maison Motema became a bridge — between Dakar, Paris, New York; between craft and modernity, between artisans and the women who carry their work into the world.
This debut marks only the beginning.
The full collection is now being crafted in Dakar, continuing our commitment to slow luxury — to pieces made with patience, shaped with mastery, and designed to move with women, wherever their path leads.
Thank you to each woman and supporters who showed up, who held a bag and felt something familiar, who recognized the story behind the craft. Your presence shaped this moment.
Maison Motema is now permanently available at 419 Broome Street, SoHo, NYC and online at www.maisonmotema.com.
Here’s to the women who live and build with intention, and to the artisans whose hands make that journey more beautiful.
Discover all the moments in photo here.
