Par
Edwin Bleunven
Published on
November 10, 2024 at 6:56 p.m.
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Since his arrival in the south of Gironde 20 years ago, Daniel has created a sort of small museum hidden in his garage.
A piece he prefers to keep secret placejust like its identity, in order to preserve its panoply.
ChanelClarins, Ruinart, Yves Saint-Laurent… This temple of luxury cardboard is full of treasures. A collection originale created from scratch by this former production director of a cardboard factory.
A unique and luxurious collection
“I think I’m the only one in the world to have such a collection,” admits Daniel, a resident of the Podensac district. In part of his garage, he has set up a small private museum. Where we find boxes of perfume, cognac, cigarettes, etc.
Among his collection, some cardboard boxes have more than 100 ans. Others are in velvetsome in satin. The models on display have boxes of all sizes, all colors, and open differently depending on the order.
Some contain rice powders perfumed by Hermès. Others, once opened, become three-sided mirrors and the one, right next to it, once closed gives the illusion of three books stored in a library.
Videos: currently on News The original box of Guerlain‘s Liu perfume in the hands of Daniel, a Girondin, at the head of an impressive collection of cardboard boxes of luxury products. ©Edwin Bleunven / Le Républicain
Perfumes, cognac, champagne
All the walls as well as an aisle cutting the room in two are covered with all kinds of boxes that contained perfume bottles, bottles of cognac or Champagnebut also bottles of Chanel, Lalique, etc.
“Some of the pieces present here are unique in the world », confides the collector, showing a blue box containing a bottle of perfume. This one is unique because all the others were thrown away. In fact, between the order and the production of the luxury packaging, the sponsor company went bankrupt. Daniel was the only one to keep a copy.
2,000 boxes collected throughout his career
But how could this Girondin become the holder of more than 2 000 cartonsluxury products? He was quite simply, for more than ten years, production director of a cardboard factory in Seine-et-Marne. Basically, he had no training. But that didn’t stop him from excelling in his field.
I accidentally fell into the box.
Daniel
By training, Daniel held a CAP ofbalance adjuster . A job in mechanics which allows him to be spotted by a client for whom he works and who offers him work on paper presses and cardboard.
Daniel has set up a museum in his garage in Gironde. His collectibles? Cardboard boxes from luxury brands like Chanel, Guerlain, Clarins, etc. ©Edwin Bleunven / Le Républicain
Discovery of the world of cardboard
He then discovered the world of cardboard. A first contact which leaves him perplexed.
At first, when I saw that because of a microdefect, they were throwing away the boxes, I told them “But you are crazy!”
Daniel
If the passion for cardboard is not there, the desire toinvent things are present.
“Our machines could only make square or rectangular boxes. The Clarins company, specializing in beauty products, has imagined a project for bias-cut boxes. My boss at the time came to present this project to me and consult me to find out if I could take on this challenge. I said it was possible,” the mechanic recalls.
Other cardboard manufacturers were informed and people said I was lying, that I wouldn’t make it.
Daniel
This leather seat-shaped box, owned by Daniel, is over 100 years old. ©Edwin Bleunven / Le Républicain
Pioneer in the production of cardboard boxes
As a result, Daniel rethinks the machines, adapts them and succeeds to fulfill the order from the beauty brand. “I was the first to adapt the machines to make different models. Before, these kinds of boxes were handmade », argues the former production director of Aubert cardboard.
A certain technical prowess possible, because Daniel knew his machines by heart and he liked to “invent new things”.
During the ten years spent as production manager, he recovered and storage boxes and samples of his productions, but also of the production prior to his arrival. He now owns more than 2 000 cartonsof luxury products that he cherishes. Away from prying eyes.
Chanel, Paco Rabanne, Hennessy, Cartier, Chivas… They are all present on the shelves of the small storage room lit by dozens of spotsbright to highlight these curiosities.
Daniel, Girondin, has a veritable private museum of boxes of luxury products. ©Edwin Bleunven / Le Républicain
Pair of white gloves and anti-humidity patches
After his company was bought by an American company and then liquidated in 1999, Daniel retired at age 57. 82 ans he takes care of these carefully arranged rooms.
Before moving or touching a crate, he puts on a pair of white gloves. In each box, he leaves anti-humidity patches. Only downside? He is the only one who knows the history and particularities of each piece. No labels or museum cartel.
“It would take too much time to reference everything,” Daniel cuts in when the question is asked.
However, he hopes that one day his collection will be recovered by a museumso that it is not lost forever. “My worry is that when I die, everything risks going into the trash…”, the octogenarian concludes with concern.
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