In a few words...

Jamin-Puech was created in Paris in 1990 by a couple of young fashion designers. Their handbags collections offer an outstanding originality, their diversity of influences and the quality handwork as well as constant new collections, make this company one of the most creative and renowned companies.

Handbags are distributed worldwide in the trendiest shops and department stores. The entire collection can be found in Paris, Milan, New York and Tokyo in Jamin-Puech boutiques.

This independent company remains the sole property of its co-founders. Isabelle Puech and Benoit Jamin have developed a whole network of craftsmen and manufacturers in France and in the world whose efficiency still matches the quality and standing of the models created each year.

How it all started

Isabelle and Benoit met in Paris at the end of the Eighties. Isabelle was studying at the "Ecole Esmod" while Benoit was at the "Cours Bercot". Both schools enjoy a high reputation well known but totally different in their approach to teaching and learning; one still more technical while other is more creative.

After a long experience in Haute Couture houses, they decided to set up their own company.

In 1991, they displayed their first collection at "Salon Première Classe" fair exhibition thanks to the "Festival of Young Creators" in Hyeres, where they won the first award, they became successful.

In 1996, they opened their first boutique, in the "Tenth Arrondissement" in Paris. Were they have created and come up with most fashionable and cutting edge handbags.

Why choose bags?

For a couple of young designers, with little means, it was much cleverer to start by presenting a line of accessories. The necessary investment was less to produce a whole range of products. Isabelle and Benoit only used materials they could get which allowed them to reinvent and create their products themselves.

Very original and outstanding compared the ones used by traditional leather goods manufacturers; their first production led them to develop a network of craftsmanship free of any constraint. No long after their network, could not deal with the increasing demand. That's why Isabelle and Benoit then had to expand their research and progressively set up a network of craftsmen and manufacturers worldwide, relying on their skills and their culture and involving them in the production tools. This labour force from Madagascar, Vietnam or India is able to express the diversity of Jamin Puech's designs and give a strong image of the company on the ethical side.

When international production is more and more uniform, personalised and precious handbags have conquested the public. Creativity and quality allowed Jamin Puech to build up a strong image. Very often being the source of new trends and looks, they have always managed to distinguish themselves by constant creation of new models (100 new references a year). Considering their customers requirements they do their upmost to guarantee the quality and the Made in France lable. Season after season, their collections reborn introduce a new range of products: luggage, clothing, hand bags accessories, shoes, scarves or jewellery.

Inspiration

Bags are the perfect fashion item for Isabelle's and Benoit's fitting creative world; their shape, materials, textures and ornaments allow this young couple to express their creativity and imagination freely. Whilst retaining its own identity, the trade mark Jamin Puech relies heavily on new inspirations that creates real surprise and incites people to buy. It builds up the company image in the world of fashion.

Faithful to the Parisian tradition and inspired by 21 st century fashion designers such as Poiret or Schiaparelli, Saint Laurent or Jean Paul Gaultier, the Jamin Puech style sincerely offers an aesthetic and poetic multifaceted world. A strong tradition that also remains opened to new possibilities. They happily mix past and present, western world fashion with other cultures, precious and sophisticated, their bags can also express humour and joy. Travels, African, Asian or American cultures, libraries, antique shops, flee markets, conversations with artists or other fashion designers. All could be source of inspiration. Without limits, evening and day hand bags exist in thousands of shapes and forms: purses, pouches, reticules, shopping bags, clutch bags, bags or satchels.

They are made of traditional materials as well as of modern ones and mix raffia, rattan, macramé, wood, nacre, horn, plastic, rhodoid, with simple cottons or precious silk. Leather has come back in fashion thanks to new and modern treatments such as lycra leather, moulded leather, tattooed or thermo changing leather and brings with it a contemporary touch. Reptiles' skins and furs complete this ongoing quest for new materials.

Their approach to ornaments is baroque, fun, festive or modern, it confirms and reasserts the Jamin-Puech label; embroidery, plaiting and weaving, applied patterns, ribbons, pleats, frills, braids always go alongside in diverse clasps. All this makes a sophisticated finishing, that will be just as refined on the inside as on the outside of the bag. A wide range of colours from the brightest to the darkest, blossom on the prints. The mix of materials and textures, embossed motifs, dyes, silkscreen printing or reprographies, give the collections a unique style.

Partners and events

As early as 1990, Isabelle and Benoit enriched their own experience by collaborating with various well known brands and their fashion designers. Balmain, Chloe, Karl Lagarfeld, entrusted them with the creation of hand bags destined to accessorise their fashion shows. Furthermore, they collaborated with "Chanel" for three seasons, imagining and creating an exclusive collection of handbags. They themselves supervised the prototypes and production of it.

In 2000 the well known mail order catalogue "La Redoute" asked them to create a new line of bags that will be presented on its own whole page. A little more unexpected, Nikon choose and asked them to design the leather case needed for its new APS camera, which was given as a gift to famous fashion photographs the day of its launch.

Selected by "Elle" magazine among 50 other fashion designers in 2000, they were one of the most expected entrants at the exhibition "Coulisse de la mode" at the Bunkamura Museum of Art in Tokyo, Japan.

2004 sees them awarded by posterity: the Paris museum of fashion and textile selects some of their creations for an exhibition called: "Le cas du sac" ("the bag's case") which crosses the social history and the changes in style of this accessory that has undeniably become THE fashion item.

Jamin Puech now enjoys the high reputation its founders arrived from the beginning of the adventure. Their crew supports them and follow them closely a real key for success.