Soon after, employee Patrick Murphy purchased Mark Cross and expanded the product offering to luxury leather goods.

[2] Before leading Mark Cross, he and wife Sara were wealthy expatriates living at Cap d'Antibes and forming relationships with many artists and writers of the Lost Generation.

[3] Gerald’s friendship with Alfred Hitchcock led to him to design an overnight case for Grace Kelly’s character in the 1954 movie Rear Window - an early example of product placement in film.

[3] Later, one with Lee Iacocca led to Mark Cross branding being used on 1980s Chrysler cars equipped with leather upholstery.

After the Murphys sold the business, Mark Cross went through a succession of different ownership until it was shut down in the late 1990s by its then-owner Sara Lee.