Fées en France

Roses and Confettis is the story of a businesswoman in the world of perfumery who decided to say stop to pressure and stress. Nothing suited her to sewing except one day borrowing her mom's sewing machine, creating a pouch for her i-pad and discovering, as a revelation, that this is what she wanted to do now. After hours of tutorials on the internet, a total immersion in manuals, and the desire to be an entrepreneur, Roses and Confettis was born in 2016. His taste for beautiful fabrics, his passion for creation, his appetite for the world of toddlers very quickly allowed him to create and offer a whole range of products for children imbued with delicacy, a universe that will also be found in the range of products for the maintenance of his home. Very committed to eco-responsible and ethical values, Caroline produces in her workshop in Marseille and entrusts part of its manufacturing to a local ESAT.

In an age of homemade, hand-sewn, zero waste, it is not uncommon for companies to develop and offer creations of this nature. On the other hand, even if I agree everything is a question of taste and color, the choice of fabrics and the diversity of products clearly make the difference. Here, Caroline's universe is entirely mine: whether it's the fabrics, the formats, the models, everything is delightful, both romantic and delicate, for toddlers as well as for older ones. Here, it's the wipes of any shape we got ourselves and the photos speak for themselves. It's beautiful, it's practical, it's good for the planet and it's made in France. What more could you ask for...

Nicolas Valentin, a former top-level pole vaulter who is surprised to see very rarely French sportswear in competitions or clubs for the benefit of industrial brands whose products generally come from the other side of the world, decides to launch his own brand by taking the opposite approach to usual practices in this field. The Colibri Frenchy was thus created in 2021 with the desire to use French know-how in the field of textiles, in partnership with companies in the region, all certified, thus guaranteeing the quality and origin of raw materials. Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Colibri Frenchy has established itself as the 100% French sportswear brand from Auvergne, offering a real local, responsible, qualitative and engaging alternative. On a human scale, favoring proximity to its partners and customers, Le Colibri Frenchy is the brand to know for athletes.

The athletes in my family are my children. Boxing, climbing... sportswear is a must in daily washing machines (with good French detergent of course...) and it is therefore quite natural that they chose and tested what was right for them. The boy chose shorts and a T-shirt that were used the day after their reception, leaving me barely time to take photos. After the oh and the ah, an astonishment at the material of the shorts, an immediate enthusiasm for the quality of the T-shirt, it was agreed that these clothes were comfortable, pleasant and well cut. Elegant is rarely the term that comes to mind for sportswear, but I have to admit that it is. Tested and approved.

Les Toiles de la Montagne Noire is the leading textile company in Tarn that has been able to restore its letters of nobility to traditional know-how from the region that has suffered the full brunt of the repercussions of globalization. In 2009, Jean-Claude Bordes and his wife made the crazy bet to bring home fabric back to life, woven and handmade exclusively in Tarn, by reusing the striped patterns and checks that have made the place famous. Nicolas, the son, joined the adventure about ten years later, by opening the market to individuals. From fabric to finished products, this company has become a real institution with in particular its plaids woven at the spinning mill in Brassac, the restart of looms and its unique collection of 19th century wood or metal engravings to create fabrics with old-fashioned patterns.

After a lot of hesitation and a few clicks, here I am with my first discoveries of Les Toiles de la Montagne Noire: the blue bath towel with a honeycomb weave, the Carreaux Tabac tea towel and a blue Chevron scarf. The whole thing smells of quality, the love of know-how and careful work, and I must admit that this tea towel in particular is the Rolls-Royce of tea towels: large, thick, absorbent, solid, and the pattern is the guarantee of a good French home.

Dressing properly was the challenge that two brothers, Foucaud and Théophile, set themselves in 2016, surrounded by Caroline, Kevin and Max. Clean clothing is a garment that travels little, that lasts and that is made in accordance with working conditions and the origin of the raw materials. Maison FT was born from this desire to contribute to changing habits in this area by offering two ranges of clothing: the one that is 100% spun, assembled, embroidered and screen-printed in France, between Lille, Avignon and Albi, and the one made of organic cotton, spun and assembled in Portugal and then embroidered and screen-printed in Avignon. A short circuit where clothing travels on average 14 times less than Asian clothing and which makes it possible to support more than 10 direct local jobs and around 26 indirect jobs. All garments are of excellent quality, with the house taking particular care to double the seams, use dense fabrics, and eliminate any chemicals in logos or materials. A very nice brand for modern men.

A masculine style that I particularly like, which has been worn by the boy for some time now and now Pierre, my partner Svivias, in the photos on the right. The quality of these clothes is exceptional, and even after numerous washes, they hardly move. The cuts are perfect, the models are both classic and modern, sometimes a touch of humor, and we love the names that are given to each piece of clothing.

Located in the heart of Limousin, the Broussaud company has been the emblem of a region since 1938 by having been able to transmit and maintain its know-how in French socks for three generations. A true jewel in the field, it has received the Living Heritage Company label, a label set up by the State to distinguish French companies with rare and exceptional know-how and which have in particular been able to keep their businesses locally. In other words, Maison Broussaud deserves our full attention because of its extraordinary ability to maintain traditional and family know-how while submitting it to the modern requirements of new technologies and customer expectations. Moreover, production remains rational, with perfect control of stocks and production. Maison Broussaud in a few figures, it's 65 jobs in France, 120 knitting machines, 1.5 million socks per year. In addition, a partnership with a French spinner has been set up in order to recycle sock yarn and waste as much as possible in order to manufacture new ones.

Socks tested and approved by teenagers: they are soft, comfortable to wear, thin, simple. I should have chosen more youthful and fun patterns for them, but Clacissism obliges me, I rushed for basics. It's hard to get excited about socks as you would jewelry, but you have to recognize the quality when it's there, which places them among our most beautiful socks we've acquired so far.

With sparkling eyes and a radiant smile, Violaine talks about her job as a sandal maker with passion. Craftsmanship based on pure transmission that is taught directly in the workshops, the profession of sandmaker is a know-how in its own right that differs from that of closed shoes. Following a professional retraining that gives full meaning to her training in art history and to her family taste for manual activities, Violaine Osio decided to devote herself fully to the creation of natural leather sandals from her workshop in Rennes, which she shapes entirely from A to Z. From her expert hands, from A to Z. From her expert hands, from her expert hands, her expert hands produce modern and practical sandals made with leathers from French companies with ancestral know-how in art of tannery. A product, a guarantee of our French know-how, resulting from the collaboration with other companies of excellence, including hot stamping, which allows the writing of initials directly on the sandal.

Met at a private sale in Paris, it was difficult not to fall in love with the designer and her craftsmanship. Seduced by her know-how, her passion, the uniqueness of her creations, their authenticity, their uniqueness by the affixing of our hot-gilded initials, the quality of her leathers, a guarantee of durability and comfort, there was only one small step left to take for her sandals to put on our feet for this summer. To wear Traverse shoes is to own a timeless art and craft shoe, testimony to our French know-how.

First met by chance at an ephemeral pop-up in the Marais, then at the Made In France show, Hortense is the very embodiment of the person who enchants us spontaneously, with her bright smile and the charm of her universe. It all started in April 2020, during the first lockdown, where Hortense discovered her grandmother's sewing machine and learned to sew on her own. She makes her first tote bag with scraps of Toile de Jouy. That's when the big adventure began, with the challenge of manufacturing all the accessories in France. In September 2020, serial manufacturing was delegated to a workshop located in the Maritime Alps. Then, in Champagne-Ardenne, she meets Laurence, Bernadette, Edith and Aurélie, four seamstresses, who accompany her in the production of small series, based on prototypes imagined and made with her own hands in Paris. It is the beginning of an adventure that has continued to develop and to offer new products regularly.

We loved its iconic piece, the blue Jouy de Fruits tote bag, chic, practical, elegant. With its reinforced bottom, it is perfect. The Jouy Pouch by Fruits Verte has found its ideal place in the handbag to store the essentials that have the genius to disappear systematically at the bottom. As for makeup remover wipes, they are so elegant that they decorate the bathroom without daring to touch it.