Le Sou Français
A FAMILY STORY
If the story of the Sou Français begins in 2015, its origins are much more distant. And at the same time so close, from the people dear to my heart who are the witnesses...
We are at the beginning of the Second World War; men of all ages - fathers and sons - are mobilized. My great-grandfather is one of them. Before he left, he took care to entrust his youngest daughter, my grandmother, with a 10-centime franc coin so that she would continue to think of him in his absence.
This piece tied to her wrist with a simple piece of string allowed her to have it closer to her while waiting for her return from the front. But it was not... and this penny was thus the last memory that a dad left to his daughter.
“Imagine… The penny you carry closest to you may have been possessed by the greatest. »
This family history, I knew it but when, decades later, my grandmother asked me to find her a bracelet for her play, it took on a whole new dimension. I had the feeling that each of us could become a storyteller thanks to his plays. And this is how Le Sou Français was born.
If these coins could talk, they would describe the palms of the hands of those who held them. They would detail the small exchanges that they allowed. They tell us about the time spent at the bottom of a drawer, a jacket pocket or a child's piggy bank. And then, knowing this second life that Le Sou Français offers them, they would project themselves into the future while continuing to witness your story.
THE DNA OF SOUTH FRENCH
Our know-how goes through four essential steps that make up the DNA of Le Sou Français:
The search for coins: for our creations, we use two types of coins: the Lindauer, manufactured between the years 1917 to 1939 and the new francs manufactured from the 1960s until the changeover to the euro.
Restoration: meticulous work is necessary so that each penny is restored and thus regains a new and uniform appearance.
Plating: so that our pieces go a long way by your side, we work with 3 types of plating: 925g micron silver, 24-carat 3-micron gold and matte black coating.
The creation of the jewel: the different models are then worked by hand in our workshop located in the South West of France, in Hossegor.
Today, if this know-how lies mainly in the fact of sourcing each coin, some like the Lindauer coins with holes are becoming increasingly rare. Useful the creation of our iconic piece thanks to which the Le Sou Français adventure started, we have given a lot of thought to the continuation of this model. So, always in this spirit of transmission and enhancement of our history and our heritage, we decided to reproduce this model of coin from the last century.
EXCEPTIONAL LEATHERS
Beyond the world-renowned Tannerie Rémy Carriat, located in Espelette, in the Basque Country, we were seduced by the beautiful harmony between respect for traditions and respect for the environment. This family business run by the great-granddaughter of the founder is proof that doing something beautiful and doing it well is entirely possible.
LEATHER SHAPING BY PASSIONATES
A saddler father whose experience is well established and passionate children with complementary profiles, it was enough for us to choose to work with the Atelier Façon Cuir in Peyrehorade, in the South West. They give shape to our ideas and allow us once again to keep our commitments to quality and proximity.
PACKAGING SOLIDARITY
In line with the transmission process that has driven us since 2015, we asked ESAT Arbonne to take care of the packaging of our products. In addition to promoting and helping the reintegration of people with disabilities, we are happy to associate them with the success of the Le Sou Français brand.