Article from Le Figaro Magazine

For the love of lavender

A former sailor, this jack-of-all-trades started making spindles filled with fragrant seeds.

From an object of Provençal tradition, he made an exceptional item.

From the navy to the nose, Philippe Franc's career path is not the most traditional. After years on the decks of ships, then as an engineer in various industries, including civil nuclear power, your designer developed a passion for lavender. It all began with a welcome gift from a neighbor: a braided spindle filled with these delicately scented seeds, a Provençal tradition. Philippe Franc has just settled in Pertuis, just outside Aix-en-Provence.

In 2003, at the age of 41, he returned to school, earning an MBA in marketing. "This lavender spindle spoke to me," he says. He immersed himself in scents and colors. When it comes to smell, he's got a taste for it. He comes from a family of distillers in Revel. As for his eye, he's an amateur painter with a rich palette. Self-taught, Philippe Franc began making the spindles himself. In Saint-Etienne, he learned about the quality of ribbons, of which the Forez region is the world capital. His creations are so impressive that he offers them to Parisian palaces. Le Meurice wants to order 500 pieces from him. Impossible, because it's too soon. At the Crillon, success is instant. The manager buys one as a gift, and the boutique decides to offer them to its customers.

"Vintage wines"

After three years of selling at the Cours Mirabeau market in Aix, he set up his own workshop and went online. He trained three people. " It's an art form," he explains. "Assembling the stems without breaking them, knotting them, braiding the ribbon all around, it requires skill."

The range is expanding: three sizes of spindles, as well as balls, and even Fabergé-style eggs. The ribbons are made of velvet and satin. Luxurious metal braiding is also available. Located under an arch in the heart of the village of Lourmarin, the Franc 1884 boutique, opened in 2018, is a feast for the eyes. The shelves shimmer, and the scents are fragrant. " The 2021 harvest has just ended," explains Philippe Franc. "We are making the new pieces."

Two lavender growers have reserved 20,000 plants for him. " Only vintage wines," insists this wine lover. In the summer of 2022, he will launch a bottle of lavender inspired by the bottles that Fargeon, Marie-Antoinette's perfumer, prepared for the queen. From sea spray to scents, the former sailor has a nose for it.

Jean-Marc Gonin