Geneviève Folliet-Multone’s life as an ER nurse in Switzerland turned upside down when she found herself in a motorcycle accident that made it difficult for her to stand. With her former career in the past, Folliet-Multone decided she was ready to start over. She stepped off the plane onto Canadian soil in 1984 at the age of 24. She was alone but had a world of possibilities ahead of her.
Folliet-Multone stands out like a wildflower in a crowd. Her hair is a bright fiery red and her blue eyeliner lines her electric blue eyes on a freckled face with a wide smile. When Folliet-Multone first arrived in Canada, she only intended to stay for less than a year.
“Things happened in my life and I decided I didn’t want to go back [to Switzerland],” she said. “I had changed too much in nine months and realized I had way more opportunities [in Canada].”
Folliet-Multone settled and built a new life in Canada, eventually pursuing a diploma in interior design that allowed her affinity for creative arts to shine. From there, she launched her Ottawa-based jewelry shop, Petit Désir Fou, in 2014.
“I’m self-taught [in jewelry making]. No classes, no nothing, so it was a lot of trial and error. I’m not good at reading manuals,” she said. “I’d burn the house down before I read a manual.”
She said the foundations for developing her jewelry brand were intuitive because of her parents’ entrepreneurial backgrounds. Her father owned a carpentry company and her mother was a hairdresser. She cultivated her brand into what it is today by working with and learning from both of them before moving to Canada.
“I started very young because I was receiving [jewelry and clothing] I didn’t like, so I modified them,” she said. “Creating has always been part of me, so at two-and-a-half years old, my mom would find me in the kitchen with a needle and thread putting flowers on my pants.”
When she first started out, Folliet-Multone’s work consisted of assembly-making; gathering pre-made items such as beads and chains and assembling them into jewelry. As time went on, she found herself wanting to try forging and modifying her own pieces from metal sheets or wires by soldering.
“Sometimes my hair got burned,” she said. “I don’t have fake nails anymore, and depending on what I do, I wear a leather apron and [protective] glasses too.”
Francine Pantalone, a long-time friend and former colleague of Folliet-Multone, said she is one of the most creative people she has ever met.
“She’s inspired by the most interesting or mundane things depending on the day,” Pantalone said. “Sometimes she’ll point at anything and say to me, ‘You see that over there? I want to make something that feels organic and [hit] it with a hammer so it feels like you’re touching that thing.’”
Folliet-Multone said many facets go into making a brand, such as storage, material sourcing, advertising and marketing. She said this is why she is a strong advocate for supporting local businesses.
“It’s not [out of] duty, but love for other makers to sustain their work,” said Folliet-Multone. “If I can support another maker and think their work is worth it, why not do it?”
Her support doesn’t stop there. Pantalone described how, through her personal improvement, Folliet-Multone uses her knowledge of jewelry-making to help other makers.
“Sometimes we’re chatting at the booth and all of a sudden she’s talking to the booth next door and giving them tips,” Pantalone said. “It’s just naturally how she is … I’m just really proud of her.”
Folliet-Multone said she cultivates her pieces with the intent of targeting people’s hearts and bringing back memories. As long as the piece holds meaning and positive reminders, she is satisfied.
“It’s so rewarding. It also gives you a sense of purpose, so you have a value of yourself and your capability,” she said. “You create something that targets the heart—that’s the value of making.”
A previous version of this article referred to Folliet-Multone’s eyeliner as “eyelashes.” It also included a typo in Francine Pantalone’s name. The Charlatan regrets the error.
Featured image provided by Geneviève Folliet-Multone.
