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The origins of Voyageuses Paris: a story of friendship and Chinese Miao crafts
- Charles Chen
- Jun 4
- 2 min read
At the heart of Voyageuses Paris lies a simple, warm story: a friendship, a journey to Guizhou, and the discovery of an extraordinary craft tradition.
Félicie, after fifteen years at Hermès, decided to leave that world behind and explore something entirely different. One day, while shopping in Shanghai, a cotton jacket printed with blue fish caught her eye. She bought it on the spot. Showing it to a Chinese friend, she was surprised to discover it drew on ethnic motifs from Guizhou, the province where her friend had grown up , and more specifically from the Miao minority's craft traditions.
Discovering Miao craftsmanship
In Guizhou they immersed with local culture and participated in workshop to upskill their knowledge of the rare, ancient technique of Miao's 100 birds costume made of silk embroideries. With the ambition of creating her own brand, Félicie set off to Guizhou in search of inspirations that would shape her vision. That first trip, taken with her family, turned out to be deeply enriching. She was moved by the Miao's handmade craftsmanship, fascinated by the local artistry, and immediately felt the desire to share it with a wider audience — through a brand that would let people wear art every day. This is how CHINOISES was born, which later became Voyageuses Paris.
In Guizhou, Félicie immersed herself in local culture, attending workshops to better understand the rare ancestral techniques behind the Miao "hundred birds" costume, made with silk embroideries.
In a Miao village, she lived alongside the inhabitants, who shared the stories behind the patterns and the different stages of their making. One day, she bought a piece of embroidery from a traditional skirt and immediately asked a local artisan to sew batik fabric on either side — turning it into a belt she could actually wear. Later, the fabric was replaced with lambskin, giving the piece a rock and roll edge, and it became one of CHINOISES' signature items.
When asked why lambskin, Félicie simply said: it gives the pieces a rock 'n' roll vibe — that Parisian je ne sais quoi.
She also discovered the magic of batik along the way, watching Miao women draw patterns in wax onto fabric before plunging it into vats of indigo. The cloth would slowly turn deep blue, gradually revealing the shapes traced in wax. This experience later inspired the creation of the cotton and silk chiffon blouses trimmed with batik that became part of the collection.
The Jingji Awards
More recently, CHINOISES entered the Jingji Awards — one of China's most prestigious competitions dedicated to intangible cultural heritage — and won first prize. The judges praised the bracelet's innovative approach to Miao embroidery: uncovering the fashion dimension of a centuries-old craft, and paying homage to Chinese culture through French elegance.
The competition, organised in Danzhai, Guizhou, by the China Public Welfare Contest Committee, received 1,206 entries from across China. The top 500 were invited to present in a public showcase in Danzhai.
Félicie never expected to win. She had simply decided to enter after a friend mentioned the opportunity.
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