CHEMINS BLANCS
OUR STORY
Chemins Blancs was born from the meeting and desire of Monique Kolen and Frédéric Lener to launch a women's clothing brand.
It was in 1992, in the offices of the headquarters located in Hazebrouck, that Monique Kolen drew the first sketches of the designs. The very first collection is launched and this was the beginning of a great adventure. A story of encounters, many encounters, human values and passion for beautiful clothes.
While the family business Lener Cordier is an institution in the field of coats, Chemins Blancs is opening up new horizons, offering a complete wardrobe and affirming its own identity. Enriched by the mother company's know-how, Chemins Blancs gradually became a brand expressing it’s universe, far from the giants of the ready-to-wear era.
It is the combination of timeless and contemporary designs that gives Chemins Blancs its originality. The brands inimitable signature, the art of combining trends with a vintage spirit that has stood the test of time.
Since its inception, Chemins Blancs has evolved and reinvented itself, always wanting to be as close as possible to your expectations and desires. Thus, for more than 25 years, and despite ups and downs, successes and failures, we are proud to say that we have dressed several generations with the same authenticity.
A bohemian dress, a top with a delicate print, trousers with an impeccable fit or a perfectly cut coat... as many pieces that we create with pleasure, and renewed magic with each new collection. Thanks to our commitments as manufacturers, we are looking to the future as we have always done, "with the heart" and the love of a job well done.
One day, my path crosses that of Frédéric Lener, I met love and decide to leave the world of modeling to design a collection within the French family house Lener Cordier. It is at this moment that Chemins Blancs takes root...
In 1992, the line gradually took shape and enjoyed its first successes in Japan and Asia. Since the journey continues, it is dotted with beautiful encounters and various collaborations, sometimes winding but always sunny, full of surprises and open to the world.
In 2012, while traveling in India, I discovered the philosophy of yoga and let myself be seduced by this discipline. I decided to do a Hatha yoga teacher training course because I love the search for balance and harmony within myself and the world that surrounds us. Aware of this new consciousness that makes each of our choices responsible, I believe in a brand that puts people at the heart of its values. It is therefore natural that Chemins Blancs is now moving towards a more committed approach. The loyal team around me shares these same values of caring and authenticity in a resolutely optimistic atmosphere »
THE DESIGNER
Monique Kolen
"Fashion has always fascinated me. As a child in the 1970s, I loved watching my aunts sewing their evening wear at my grandparents' house in the Netherlands. I had fun trying on their mini-skirts, fringed vests and tons of shoes while listening to music and dancing. When I was drawing my dream outfits, my grandmother told me that I would probably become a fashion designer one day... These images and words still resonate in my memory.
After graduate, I start studying at a fashion school in Eindhoven. One day, while walking in the city, an agent asks me if I would be interested to walk fashion shows, I accept! One thing leading to another, I was offered to take pictures and join a modeling agency in Amsterdam. Full of dreams, I want to travel and discover the world, a great opportunity presented itself to me. My modeling career starts quickly, the creativity and artistic expression of this environment amazes me. At that time, I had the chance to collaborate with excellent photographers and talented people: Cees van Gelderen, Gunnar Larsson, Mario Testino in his early days and the designer Antonio Lopez for Vogue Vanity among others. These years and the boundless creative excitement of the 1980s strongly influenced and still inspires me today.
OUR WOMEN
READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION
At Chemins Blancs, the collection is a joyful mix of our desires and favorites of the moment. Inspired by the things of life, nature, encounters, curiosity and pretty surprises, the silhouettes of the season are set up like a puzzle. First a print, then matching colors, a masculine stripe, a golden button, a worked collar, a finishing touch, a braid that highlights a cut. Each detail enriches our meticulous research work, often guided by our intuition.
Our travels are also a great source of inspiration. Real or imaginary, they take us from the sunny alleys of the South to the misty beaches of the North, from Swinging London and our favorite idols to the Parisian cafés of the 70ies with Jane and Serge. Freedom above all: that of multiple mixtures, with always a precise vision of the woman we dress: who we are. With each adventure, colors and atmosphere are built like a journey: strong moments, sharing time, happy coincidences and our paths that cross each other.
At Chemins Blancs, we love the strong and iconic women: Edie Sedgwick, Anita Pallenberg, Charlotte Rampling, Vanessa Paradis, Lou Doillon... Their free and emancipated femininity is an inspiring energy that we strive to infuse into each of our creations. Muses, icons of yesterday and today, musicians who cross time, sensitive souls who delicately freeze the essence of an era... The magic of their talent nourishes the generation of women that we are. The timelessness of their style resonates in our collections. Their grace is an ideal that we pursue every season.
At Chemins Blancs we fill our inspirational notebooks... with a vintage archive photo, to which we juxtapose a ribbon, a veil, a color. Sometimes it is a garment from an improbable era that inspires a whole new shape.
At Chemins Blancs you will always find a suit with worked finishes and personalized linings, in a very beautiful fabric, for your "working girl" days or to be loosen up for casual looks or romantic evenings. There will be a printed dress either with a Bohemian chic spirit or with the inspiration of the 40s, 60s or 70s, long or short, winter or summer, to be feminine, whatever the temperatures! Beautiful cuts for our pants, quality and comfortable materials for our coats, tops that you can match with jeans, casual, chic pants and skirts. Each outfit leaves you the freedom to dress according to your desires, your moods, your style... Our collections are made in order to have fun creating the outfit that suits you.
Our greatest pleasure: it is to see you wear our creations in your own way!
