Archives des Made in France - FUSAC Paris Classifieds

History, Politics and… Camemberts

by Bernard Richard, Historian

Camembert is one of France's gastronomic emblems along with the baguette, champagne, coq au vin, wine and many other products that make up the French identity.

According to a well established, but undocumented, legend the cheese called camembert was created in about 1791 by a certain Marie Harel, a milkmaid whose statue was inaugurated by the French president in 1928 in the town of Vimoutiers, which is the administrative center down the road from the village of Camembert. Vimoutiers is in the Orme department in Normandy. The story goes that Marie, during the chaos of the Revolution, gave refuge to a priest who came from Brie, east of Paris, and that to show his gratitude the priest gave Marie the famous cheese recipe. But in fact much earlier, around 1705, Thomas Corneille, brother of the playwright Pierre, already wrote of the good cheese from Camembert.

The round boxes…

Christian Dior entrepreneur and innovator

Christian Dior, perhaps the most well-known French couturier, was born in Granville, Normandy in 1905. You can visit his childhood home still today. It overlooks the sea and has lovely gardens. His favorite colors of grey and very soft pink were inspired from the decor of this home. Dior’s timeless elegance in fashion draws its inspiration from Granville, the childhood home that shaped his creativity. Explore Villa Les Rhumbs, linger in its garden so as to take the first steps towards his creations and discover the very essence of his art. In 1910 the family moved to Paris, but kept the Granville home for summer escapades. During the roaring 20s, Christian Dior rubbed shoulders with the cultural milieu in Paris and making friends with the artists, painters, writers, musicians, and designers of the time. HIs first foray into business was to open an art gallery to show the works of his favorite painters which included Picasso, Braque, Matisse, and Dufy. The Golden Age ende…

Pounds and Ounces, Stones and Gallons

Pounds and Ounces, Stones and Gallons: Exploring Their Origins Pondering Pounds Have you ever wondered why the abbreviation for pound, both as a unit of weight and as currency, is “lb” or represented as £ (an L with a line through it)? The answer lies in the Latin word “libra.” In astrology, Libra, the seventh sign of the zodiac, is symbolized by scales due to its association with balance, weights, and measurements. In ancient Rome, the standard unit of weight was "libra pondo," which meant "a pound by weight" in Latin. The English word "pound" is derived from the "pondo" part of this phrase, while the abbreviation “lb.” comes from "libra." Similarly, the symbol for the British pound (£) also traces its origins to "libra pondo," as the value of the pound was once equivalent to the price of a pound of silver. Interestingly, other currencies, such as the former Italian lira and the current Turkish lira, also have their roots in "libra." Then there is the pound symbol (#), al…

Made in France, My Diary

I decided to try to find Made in France products each time I made a purchase and keep a Made in France Diary.

The idea sprang from my exercise diary. I write down on my calendar each time I get some exercise, riding my bike, taking a walk for errands or fun or taking a class. Keeping a diary helps me to keep that focus and make sure I move. I have a nice record of my constitutional outings. It is very satisfying to be able to look back and see that I pretty much get my requisite 30 minutes each day, plus needing to make an entry on the calendar gets me up and out; I get both satisfaction and encouragement.

I decided to apply that to my Made in France year. A diary, technically a monthly of what I buy and if it is MIF. I decided I was not going to be obsessive and buy ONLY MIF, like this guy Benjamin Carle who in 2014 made a project of transforming his life and apartment to only MIF. Benjamin was un peu extrême - in his words- abo…

Made in France: A long history and current products

Made in France: A long history and current products When you think made in France you perhaps first think of food, then of luxury, then maybe of industry. France has a long history of creation of wonderful products and inventions such as the chip in your credit card, the minitel, which preceeded the internet, watches and knives. FUSAC has selected a few of our favorite historical products that are still made in France as well as some new concepts. Cocorrico! as they say! Bilum You probably never wondered what happens to all of the huge canvas posters used to present exhibitions when the exhibition is over. Or what happens to lifejackets or seat from AirFrance flights at the end of their lives. Or how about the shirts worn for just one game by the PSG. Well Bilum, founded in 2005 by Hélène de La Moureyre, has teamed up with the museums, exhibition halls, AirFrance, the PSG and many others to create bags and pouches of all sorts from their « waste ». A made in France…

Maigret and Columbo

Following up on our article in which we presented three American cultural icons that in fact were French creations we now turn to Maigret and Columbo, two famous detectives of book and film. Was the American Columbo inspired from French Maigret? Well, Maigret certainly came first in time and Columbo certainly shares quite a few of his characteristics plus he has a French car! The son of Georges Simenon, the author of the Maigret series, says that because his father wouldn’t sell the rights for Maigret, Columbo was created as a different character but inspired by the famous Maigret. Maybe that’s why Columbo drives a Peugeot that winks back towards Maigret and Paris. John Simenon is quoted in 2016 : « Les explications d'Alain Sachs, qui a interprété Le Petit Docteur [another Maigret character] à la télévision française, sont peut-être un peu approximatives, mais c'est bien à la suite d'un refus de mon père de céder les droits du personnage du Petit Docteur, comme de Maig…

American? Non, French Creations!

Three famous cultural icons you thought were American, but they are really FRENCH creations!! The song “My Way” "Comme d'habitude" was the original name for the Frank Sinatra hit “My Way”. It was composed in 1967 by Jacques Revaux, with lyrics by Claude François and Gilles Thibaut. It is a French song about routine in a relationship and falling out of love. It referenced Claude François’s recent breakup with fellow French singer France Gall. It was quite a success for François and later Florent Pagny who covered it in 1989. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w22haP4hgsQ Paul Anka heard the song while listening to French radio and then bought the rights. Anka wrote the English lyrics specifically for Frank Sinatra, who then recorded it in 1969 under the title "My Way". It became one of Frank Sinatra's signature songs which is about making choices along one’s life path and looking back without regret. The group “Village People” Village People is an American disco group…

Unique reuseable gift wrap

Reuseable gift wrap

Christmas Gift wrap rolls are so passé! Each year, the French buy 40 million rolls of gift wrap. These papers are largely non-recyclable because of their glossy or plasticized finishes. Moreover, being single use, they go in the trash as soon as the gifts are unwrapped, generating more than 20,000 tons of waste just at Christmas ... There are alternatives! Here's a few ideas for reuseable gift wrap which are ecological, economical, reuseable for the most part and made in France.

A reuseable gift wrap bag hand made by Sac(k)s by Lisa. These simple drawstring bags are made from upcycled fabrics. They come in a variety of sizes and are perfect for books, socks and all sorts of goodies. They can be purchase at Bill & Rosa's Book Room

DIY Gift Wrap with recycled materials

Make your own gift wrap from old maps & atlas pages, or dictionary pages. Use rubber stamps or stencils and ribbon to brighte…

Two Concept stores – Objets parisiens

Les Parisettes is a concept store specializing in Objets parisiens in the form of decorative objects, kitchen accessories, leather goods, jewelry, games... in the colors of Paris and the Eiffel Tower. Their shop is located in the 15th arrondissement.

THE OBJECTS OF Les PARISETTES: Les Parisettes is a creator of objects which are made mainly in France and Europe. They offer 2 collections: the Paris collection, centered on the Eiffel Tower and the Store Collection, eco-responsible and colorful. Les Parisettes is offers an elegant and colorful line of stationery and shopping bags for Paris lovers. Created by young designers and in collaboration with students from a major Parisian graphic design school, the patterns are relevant, offbeat, kitsch or refined... THE CREATORS: Maryse Bazzoli and Sophie Ollé-Laprune, two Parisians passionate about cities and in particular Paris, created this concept store more than 10 years ago to change the…

Reflections from an old timer in Paris: Les PTT

Reflections from an old timer in Paris: Les PTT One area in which France changed massively in the years I have lived here, is the Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones, which were known collectively as Les PTT. The period from the pneumatique, public phone booths and boxes, and several postal deliveries a day, to the age of the Internet and the mobile phone, seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. I regret to this day never having actually sent or received a pneumatique before it was suspended in March 1984. I remember such systems in department stores such as Harrods in London, where I once worked as a student. In Paris it was an ingenious and rapid intra-city delivery system, with the message arriving at the closest terminal to the receiver’s address and then being delivered by courier. Of course, in the event of an urgent piece of news, be it good or bad, there was always the telegram. I have kept many of them, congratulating me on the birth of a chil…

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