It took me a long time to understand that what I was doing with my hands—what I was trying to express through material—was actually a deeply personal extension of my childhood. My craft is not just a profession or a passion, but an invisible thread, something profound that ties my memories to the gestures I repeat every day in the workshop.
I was born in a quiet suburb south of Paris and spent part of my childhood in Brittany, the westernmost region of France. Two different landscapes, two different kinds of light, two different rhythms of life—but they all shared a common need to create in order to fully exist. From a very young age, my time flew by as a spent it building cabins, contraptions and drawing constantly, using whatever I could find around me. Not to make something “pretty,” but rather to understand and to find a kind of harmony. The Breton forests, the moss-covered stones, the windswept beaches… they taught me patience, silence, and how to observe.
The Beaumont Bag by Frederic Lesellier. 100% Italian calfhide-leather, 18k-gold plated accessories, made 100% in Italy
That slow relationship with the world has stayed with me through the years. And I think it’s what naturally drew me to leather. There’s a kind of density to it, reminiscent of a memory, demanding a kind of respect. You can’t cheat with leather. It requires attention, time and humility but in return, it reveals the hand, the personality and the intention of the one who works it. It’s a silent, powerful dialogue, acting as a canvas for my thoughts.
I needed to exist as a creator. Not just exist as a servant to the houses which—despite their beauty—often function like well-oiled machines, often blind to the soul of those who sustain them.
I didn’t grow up in a family of artisans, but I was always surrounded by a culture of care, precision, and doing things with one’s own hands. It was much later, during my fashion and accessories design studies in Paris, that I truly found the craft that would become mine. There, in the school’s workshops, I discovered the deep joy of working with the material. Cutting, assembling, polishing. Each gesture brought me back, unearthing the old memories that lay dormant inside of me. A sense of grounding and a sense of truth.
After school, I had the chance—or the intuition—to train in several French maisons. There, I learned to appreciate boldness in form, training my eye for details, and deepening my love for leather—the invisible yet essential finishes and the quiet transmission of knowledge between artisans gave me a sense of belonging. I also started teaching—guiding other hands and I believe that experience further deepened the mark and passion for handcraft inside of me. By forcing me to articulate to others what often came instinctively to me, I found a renewed joy in giving meaning and structure to a material.
However that time didn’t last long and quickly I felt an underlying tension that grew stronger as time passed. It was like there was a need to breathe. I felt like I was giving so much as I working for others, and yet I was only allowed to exist as a shadow behind their light. It wasn’t about my ego as I’ve never craved fame—I genuinely am happier when I’m complimented for the quality of something I’ve made with my own two hands than when I am recognized in the streets. But I needed to exist as a creator. Not just exist as a servant to the houses which—despite their beauty—often function like well-oiled machines, often blind to the soul of those who sustain them.
Creating my own brand was born from that double impulse: the desire to stand by my vision—and the refusal to remain a silent link in a long chain. It was a hard choice, filled with risks, but more importantly, liberating. I opened a studio in Nice, inside a former Belle Époque palace nestled on the Cimiez hill—a place full of history and light, like the brand and products I wanted to build.
That studio became the birthplace of my first collection, inspired by the Château de Versailles. Not Versailles as a postcard or a frozen décor—but as a symbol of refined detail, of the balance between mastery and splendor. The 18-carat gold roses, the sculpted clasps, the architectural shapes… everything speaks of a world where every gesture matters, where beauty is a way of inhabiting the world.
Frederic Lesellier at the Palace of Versaille
However, the industry today is largely saturated, dominated by the luxury fashion houses. They monopolize the people’s attention, the shop windows, the workshops and sometimes even the imagination of the artisans themselves. Thus building a brand in today’s market is a constant struggle as young designers have to find their way through difficult layers of marketed storytelling and an even harsher economic reality. We’re expected to be creators, managers, strategists—and sometimes even influencers. It’s honestly dizzying.
And yet, I believe that’s exactly where our strength lies. We’re not labels. We’re not faceless entities or massive corporations. This means that we have a genuine voice, a unique story and a restless hand itching to create. And more and more clients, enthusiasts, and journalists are searching for that: something real. Something true.
Frederic Lesellier from his workship in Nice, France
Today, I don’t claim to have it all figured out. I often doubt, to then search and readjust. But at least I now know why I get up every morning: to create objects with a soul. To defend the idea of luxury that is not just about a fancy display, but also about intimacy, emotion and durability. To pass things on. Because I believe every bag, every shoe, every ornament and accessory can become a witness to emotion and imbued with memory—a fragment of one’s self.
I still have a thousand projects in my mind. Collaborations, unique pieces and bridges to build within Asia where I feel an incredible sensitivity to finesse, to tradition and to the sincerity of the hand. But whatever happens, I want to remain true to that original commitment: to create slowly, to create with care and to create from the heart.
In the end, what I’m trying to do is not just complement bodies—but touch souls.
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