French fashion jewellery company Les Chamanes is eyeing expansion in travel retail, determined to see its brands listed with leading travel retailers.
Le Chamanes jewellery is available throughout France and in domestic markets in more than 60 countries. Its Franck Herval brand is listed at Sydney Airport through a collaboration with Les Chamanes’ Australian distributor Blue Scarab.
The Les Chamanes story began in 1982 when Jean-Daniel Christin, an ornithologist and naturalist, founded the Nature Bijoux brand. Joined by his three children Manuelle, Amaury and Simon a few years later, they developed the Franck Herval and Ori Tao brands and created the Les Chamanes group. Based in the south of France, Les Chamanes has production facilities in the Philippines.
Its niche Nature Bijoux brand offers various collections of necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings in brass and tin, gilded with gold or plated with silver, and featuring natural gemstones and materials with a focus on designs for everyday wear. All pieces are handcrafted.
The Franck Herval line is said to offer the “perfect alchemy between fashion, craftsmanship and meticulous know-how”, again with natural stones and colourful enamel details, while Ori Tao has an urban spirit, featuring metal-based designs with hammered, engraved, chiselled and folded finishes.
Les Chamanes Export Manager Laurence Serpin believes all three brands are ideal for travel retail. “Each brand appeals to a slightly different audience so we feel our jewellery could be an easy fit in the channel,” she said. “Our brands have a global appeal so we are targeting international expansion. That is our goal, with an initial focus on the North American market.
“The fact that we design and produce our jewellery, managing the entire production process, sets us aside from many other fashion jewellery brands. We care about sustainability and nature, using natural materials and stones instead of plastics.” ✈
