Au Départ is considered as one of four greatest French trunk-makers alongside Louis Vuitton, Goyard and Moynat.

[3] The Bertin Frères business flourished and a second shop, trading under Au Départ, was opened in Paris at 29, Avenue de l'Opéra in 1874.

Upon Ernest Bertin's death in 1905 the store on boulevard de Denain was sold and the Au Départ shop inside closed circa 1910.

Au Départ is also to actively promote its wares by regularly placing advertisements in the magazine L'Illustration under the theme "A Beautiful Journey Begins".

On 2 July 1932 François Bertin, on behalf of Au Départ, created a new company, the Coopération Industrielle et Commerciale ("CIC"), in partnership with the directors of the four other great trunk-makers of the time (Louis Vuitton, Goyard, Moynat, et Aux Etats-Unis) in the face of the economic crisis.

To counter the drop in sales, a merger with the historical competitor on the Avenue de l'Opéra, the trunk-maker Moynat, was envisaged.

Au Départ released a new collection of trunks and bags featuring the signature monogram motif upon a launch on Paris' historic rue Saint Honoré in 2019[14] available within a selection of high-end retailers.