Ma Boite à Trésor
Last year we had the chance to meet Zarina Malherbe, a talented French designer and founder of the brand, "FRANCE BY LILLY". Immediately seduced by the beauty and precision of her work, especially by the magnificent hat boxes that she creates and crafts by herself in her workshop, we decided that our two houses should collaborate!
While discovering our collection, Zarina was strongly charmed by MASHA KEJA’s iconic handbags embroidered by hand, according to the 17th century technique called "cannetille". She fell in love with our small handbag, "AVA Baby", which inspired her to create something exceptional...
We exchanged our ideas, and a few months later Zarina brought us her proposal - the first prototype. It was an elegant oval box that she developed for us. This box was created to fit our "AVA Baby" bag!
We then had to find material to cover the box’s form. Knowing the history of cannetille and our passion for the fabrics of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Zarina presented some samples of « toile de Jouy »* fabric from the house of Manuel Canovas. A pure wonder!
*(For the history, the manufacture of « toile de Jouy » was launched in 1760 by a young Frenchman, Mr. Oberkampf, in the city of Jouy-en-Josas (a dozen kilometres from Paris). Becoming highly successful, his printed cottons quickly found their place in decoration, furniture and clothing. In 1783, French King Louis XVI granted the Oberkampf factory the honorable title of "Royal Manufacture").
It is undeniable that this material perfectly represents our beautiful heritage. Considering that "AVA Baby" handbags are made of tender lambskin, soft as a baby's hands, it was obvious that the fabric for the inside component of « MY TREASURE BOX » should be at least as soft as lambskin. After some research, we found a very soft material, similar to suede. Less expensive than real suede, this fabric is easy to cut and ideal as a lining for our box. A little plus, this « suede feel » lining is also easy to maintain. In case of soiling, the stain can be simply removed with soap and a damp cloth.
Materials were chosen and two weeks later « MY TREASURE BOX » was finished!
Today, you have the opportunity to admire the result of this beautiful collaboration between our two houses, "FRANCE BY LILLY" and "MASHA KEJA".
To avoid waste and storage difficulties, « MY TREASURE BOX » is available only on order. You should allow ten working days to have your order ready. We believe this beautiful box will be a great gift idea ! It’s a sumptuous way to present the "AVA Baby" handbag to one you love, or it can be a refined case to keep the bag you already own.