When Karen Miles was looking for an appropriate name for her new business she knew she wanted the word French in there and adding Consul seemed to fit perfectly.
“I was looking for ways to keep France in my life and I liked the idea of offering Australian stores a local source of French-inspired linen homewares so being the ‘ambassador’ or ‘consulate’ of all things French in Australia seemed just right.”
Starting French Consul wasn’t something Miles planned for years, but happened after her dad passed away. One of the last things her dad asked her to do the day before he died was to see more of the world and to never give up.
“Feeling stuck in my career, a few months later I did the thing ‘good girls’ aren’t supposed to do and I quit my job with no job to go to and I flew to Paris solo where, unknowingly, the idea for French Consul began.
“I think there’s something in all of us that yearns for a sense of purpose, and I’ve learned that a big part of achieving that is never letting others decide your value and never giving up on yourself.”
Miles has been surrounded by creative people her whole life, including her mum and grandmother, and those memories and that amazing gene pool was imprinted upon her.
“I am greatly influenced by my history―a creative mother who was highly skilled in a wide range of artistic pursuits from calligraphy to sewing, and my grandmother who ran her own store fashioning gowns for the ladies of Strathfield in a time when very few women owned a business. A framed photograph of Edna outside her store, with her mum, sits proudly inside the French Consul studio.
“I grew up in my nan’s sewing room and on her dining room table having the hem adjusted on the latest beautiful dress she was making me as a child. Our retail and design community of talented, creative women that I’m surrounded by here in Australia have taught me to be the architect of my life.”
Miles spent a lot of time in Paris and Provence looking for linen tablecloths and cushion covers with a classic French ‘grain sack’ stripe. Grain sacks were once widely used by farmers across Europe to identify their grains when they sold them at market―each family had their own colour and stripe pattern on their grain sacks.
“I couldn’t find the products anywhere, or even the fabric or antique versions to make up for my own home. Not being able to find the French grain sack products here in Australia, and knowing that so many women covet the designs, I knew there had to be a gap in the market I could fill.
“I wanted to provide an accessible price point and a regular local source for Australian retailers and we’ve done that… I also love that our linen flax is grown in France, loomed in Ireland by one of the last standing family-run linen mills, and hand cut and sewn in Ireland and Australia.”
After working on creating the label for six months, French Consul was launched in March last year. She sources her fabric, which is certified, from Europe (linin is grown in France and woven in Ireland) and all products are hand cut and sewn in Australia and Ireland, keeping artisan small businesses alive and their skills treasured in people’s homes.
“We’re seeing a real change from cheaply made products to more and more customers valuing well made products, handcrafted, and Australian made. French Consul products are certified―they are made from 100 per cent French flax Masters Of Linen and European Flax certified and meet the human-ecological requirements of the Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX and are woven in Ireland and Irish Linen Guild certified.
“Ethics aren’t a nice-to-have anymore, there’s a groundswell of people who want to know where products are made and I’m so glad to be part of that shift back to quality manufacturing. Every French Consul product purchase supports farmers, artisans and fabric weavers in France, Ireland, England and Australia.”
While French Consul was only launched last year and the journey has only just begun, there have been plenty of highlights already including the French Consul Pop Up in New York in March this year.
“Seeing our products styled and for sale in one of the most iconic French-inspired buildings in the heart of Soho at Marche Maman is something I still pinch myself about. Knowing that our stockists now stretch across five countries is a pretty exciting feeling too.”
“In terms of challenges, growth is something I’ve had to get my head around. I was delighted to receive some coaching on the Channel 7 TV show Kochie’s Business Builders this year. I have learned a lot about the importance of systemising and have researched ways to run my inventory and fulfilment with integrated software which I will implement as we scale the business.”
Indeed, growth is a big part of French Consul’s plans in both Australia and overseas, however, offering a quality product to Australian stores is Miles’ focus. Does she have any tips for retailers that sell French Consul products?
“If your store adores French provincial style, farmhouse, Hamptons, cottage or country style, or just handcrafted beautiful products, French Consul’s three cushion sizes looks equally at home styled across a classic lounge or occasional chair in navy, greys or neutrals.
“I’ve seen stores merchandise across a bed, or with our fete table runners across a rustic table, some even hang them with wooden pegs, or drape them across wooden clothes hangers. One stockist folds our Provencal tea towels and fete table runners in stacks in a gorgeous open cupboard. And I especially love seeing our two tote bags hanging from old wall pegs and vintage ladders.”
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