Quoi de neuf - French shopping in June 2019
New products, designs and ideas from around France. This month: a luxury e-bike, eco-friendly olive oil, ceramics from Pézenas and tapas-style napkins
Ride high on luxury e-bike
First came dandy horses – an early bike form – next the classic two-wheeler, then battery-powered e-bikes.
And now a new generation for urban cyclists: the connected e-bike which is unlocked and started via the user’s smartphone as they approach it.
This stylish, lightweight model from Bayonne firm Coleen goes full-circle – back to the dandies for geometric inspiration – but also features a silent motor weighing less than 2.5kg delivering 50Nm of torque.
The leather saddle is made by Voltaire, the French luxury accessories brand.
Wheels for serious bikers, now available to pre-order with prices from €4,700
www.coleen-france.com/gb/
Impressed by the cold-pressed
Beyond their culinary and gustatory benefits, many French-produced oils are becoming must-haves for those seeking environmental correctitude and nutritional boosts from their daily huile.
Saveur de Mets is a family business started in 2018 in Auberive in the Haute-Marne department (Grand Est)
Its whose ethos is based on eco-responsibility, quality and transparency.
All their oils – which range from popular walnut, rape seed and hazelnut to the lesser known but health-giving hemp, camelina, thistle and chia, are GMO-free.
No chemicals are used in production and all waste goes towards animal feed.
Sample prices: 75cl of walnut oil, €32; 25cl of camelina oil, €9.
www.saveurdemets.fr
Made in Pézenas
AtelierS d’Art de France has exhibition spaces and shopping outlets in Paris and the regions, selling craft creations.
One is La Maison des métiers d’art de Pézenas, located in a 17th century former consular building in the popular and beautiful tourist village in Hérault.
Here you can find decorative objects, furniture, tableware, jewellery, fashion and sculptures, whether unique items or limited editions. Items pictured: hand-painted vases by Valérie Leroux, €115 each.
www.ateliersdart.com
Tapas time chic
Celebrating its centenary in 2019, Béarn company Tissage Moutet weaves Basque linen to produce tea towels, napkins and tablecloths.
Since 2006, it has been labelled an “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant” which certifies as authentic the know-how of its five generations of Orthéziens weavers.
The fabric’s creation, weaving and dyeing are entirely carried out in Béarn, in compliance with tradition and social and environmental standards.
The products are far from old-fashioned, however, as designers are regularly engaged to create new, often humorous, styles in bright colours.
For 2019 they worked with young designers Sokina Guillemot and Cécile Barraud de Lagerie, as well as the Sylvain Guichard-Bichicchi, from Normandy brand Heula.
The latest range is tapas-style napkins which can also be used for guests at breakfast or tea time.
Set of 6, €24.
www.tissage-moutet.com
