If this is how it ends

One of the last things Dad asked me to do the day before he died was to see more of the world and never give up. Dad passed just after Easter in April 2017 but his words didn’t truly hit me until I picked up his ashes for his farewell ceremony. I can still feel the moment now. Dad, reduced to a small styrofoam box. I realised, ‘if this is how it ends, then what can I make of my life’?

Feeling stuck in my career, I did the thing sensible Virgos aren’t supposed to do and I quit my job with no job to go to. I flew to Paris solo in September 2017 and unknowingly, the idea for French Consul began.

Standing among exquisite Dior creations in the Museum of Decorative Arts, I started taking notes – ‘timeless, quality, elegance’. At a homewares trends forecast by the Edelkoort brand, I noted down ‘a return to hand loomed textiles, nature-driven ideas, handcrafted products that comfort you from the world’, and ‘honour history in what you create’. At Musee Picasso, I wrote – ‘he did his own thing and broke all the rules’.

The one thing I searched for all over Paris and Provence, but couldn’t find, was linen cushions and tablecloths with that classic French stripe. I have a long-held French stripe obsession, and in particular, the ‘grain sack’ stripe used by French farmers for centuries to identify their family’s sacks of grain at market. All I wanted was a stripy cushion for my lounge and upon returning home I realised I’d have to make it myself, but also, maybe other people returning from France with the post-Provence holiday blues would love one too.

After months of research and designing, in March of 2018, I launched French Consul linen homewares representing everything I love – timeless beauty, and handcrafted textiles, with heritage and meaning. And a stripe!

My research led me to some amazing traditional artisans across France and Ireland – both renowned for their centuries of linen production, and the loveliest sewing team in Ireland and later also Australia.

The collection has since been picked up by some of the most beautiful stores across Australia, the US (including a New York Pop Up), UK, Canada, Singapore, Ireland, and New Zealand.

And goosebump story, the first store that approached me to become a stockist in England is located a stone’s throw from where my Dad was born. It’s like he’s woven into the fabric of this brand.