When we think of the work of our frequent collaborateuse and artistic amie, Nathalie Lété, a smile comes to mind. For as soon as our eye falls upon the world she creates filled with vintage toys, child-like woodland scenes, and vintage-inspired animal motifs, we simply can’t help but fall in love with life itself. Her latest inspiration? Is her curious fondness for cats, bunnies, and French memorabilia - that sparks our newest Bastille Day collaboration.

But behind the land of feline frolics and fun, also lies a true-blue artist - in every sense of the word. Known to immerse her fans in a world of couleur, child-like fantasy and playful humour, Paris-based Nathalie Lété is also known as a global creative, a creative mastermind working not only on projects in Europe, but also in Japan and Australia. An expert in a mélange of media and artistic techniques, she is the kind of rare bird, a wildly popular breed of artist that seems to magically touch the child in all of us, simply by following her own set of rules.

To start, she lives and works at a studio just outside Paris, in an old-time factory that once manufactured pieces of the Eiffel Tower. Repurposed with quirkydom, her studio is filled with wall-to-wall artworks inspired by travel, vintage jouets, stuffed animals and antique engravings of wonderland-ish flowers, to fill her sense of joie. Her inspiration? Is steeped in the traditions of her German mother and Chinese father – in her love of Asian motifs mixed with folk-tale imagery from Eastern European countries. In particular, the ‘folk-art’ children’s illustrations of the storybooks her German mother extensively read to her as she grew up.

With summers also spent with her grandmother in Bavaria, she would often immerse herself in the escape of the forest, much like ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, her childhood heroine. Growing up as an only child, her happiest memories continue to be conveyed today, with a view to ‘creating a cocoon of happiness and harmony’ for all in her life’s work. For it is where her heart feels safest: in nature and its greenery – in her own kind of fantasyland: surrounded by flowers, animals, birds, and beaucoup de couleurs.

And her love for cats that sparks her latest collection? Possibly comes down to the environment in which Nathalie now resides. A home divided into 3 separate lofts, where her cats roam free and leave a soigné feel around her busy studio. That perhaps the beauty of a cat lies in its curiosity and independence - a bit feisty, yet playful and full of fun. But moreover - how brave they are, in experiencing new surroundings. How in the act of wandering freely, a beloved chat can still find the means to feel cocooned, comfortable, and safe: whilst living by their own sets of rules.

The Nathalie Lété Parisian Animals Collection

Having collaborated with Nathalie for over 15 years, we are thrilled to offer you our newest collaboration – a timeless and luxurious range featuring a parfait design of playful Parisian Animals such as cats, bunnies and jolie Parisian motifs: to delight your inner Francophile. A mélange of pyjamas, slippers, eye-masks, and cosmetic bags - including a chat-covered throw, to restore your joie de vivre and sense of home.

Indulge yourself or someone special with our exclusive Nathalie Lété gifts for Bastille Day. Shop the collection in-store or online at blueillusion.com