LA MAISON
Maison Fournival Altesse has been perpetuating the craft of brush making in France for the last six generations. Ancestral expertise and the strictest criteria of excellence go into the design and creation of each brush.
1875
Maison Fournival Altesse was founded in 1875 in the Oise region, at the heart of the Thérain valley, the birthplace of French brush making.
In its early days, Maison Fournival Altesse manufactured toothbrushes fashioned from ox and horse femur bones or carved in ivory for prestigious clients. In 1920, the company began to specialise in the traditional manufacture of high-end and top-of-the-range hair brushes.
Nowadays, Maison Fournival Altesse continues to produce stunning, entirely hand-crafted pieces using 19th-century techniques.
SETTING
THE STANDARD
Our unique expertise and reputation for quality has led over 50 brands from around the world to entrust the manufacture of their range of hair and beard brushes to us. Tailor-made brush ranges have since become our specialty. We now make unique products for some of the greatest names in hairdressing, cosmetics and luxury goods.
OUR COMMITMENT
TO QUALITY
Our unique brush making expertise has earned official recognition from the French government, with the label "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant" (Living heritage company) for excellence in traditional craftsmanship.
Our products are made in France, in the Oise, a region known as the historic cradle of French brush making.
OUR EXPERTISE
Our unique expertise covers two kinds of brush manufacture: industrial and handmade.
Whatever the manufacturing process, our ancestral expertise goes into every one of our brushes and only the highest quality materials are used.
INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING
For industrial manufacturing, the bristles are inserted mechanically so that a large quantity of brushes can be made for each series.
Find out more about our industrial manufacturing process...
HOT-STAMPING WITH GOLD FOIL
PAD PRINTING
HOT-STAMPING WITH GOLD FOIL
PACKAGING
PACKAGING
PACKAGING
PACKAGING
PLANKS OF RAW WOOD
CUTTING THE WOOD INTO SQUARES
PLANKS OF RAW WOOD
THE VARIOUS STAGES OF CRAFTING A HANDLE
DECORATING A PNEUMATIC BRUSH
SANDING A SMOOTHING BRUSH
THE VARIOUS STAGES OF CRAFTING A HANDLE
POLISHING & GLOSSING A WOODEN HANDLE
TUMBLE FINISH
PREPARING THE HANDLES FOR LACQUERING
POLISHING & GLOSSING A WOODEN HANDLE
MECHANICAL INSERTION OF BRISTLES INTO PNEUMATIC HEADS
INSERTING BRISTLES INTO ROUND HEADS
MECHANICAL INSERTION OF BRISTLES INTO PNEUMATIC HEADS
GLUING A PNEUMATIC HEAD
GLUING A PNEUMATIC HEAD
GLUING A PNEUMATIC HEAD
100% HANDMADE MANUFACTURING
The craft of making brushes entirely by hand is the "haute couture" of brush making: it is true art. As opposed to industrial manufacturing, the processes of drilling and bristle insertion are done by hand. You can judge the authenticity of a "handmade" brush from the counter-drilling, apparent on a transparent handle, or from the white or black dots on the backside of the handle where the drill holes have been filled in.
Maison Fournival Altesse is one of the last companies in the world to perpetuate this ancestral craft.
Find out more about our 100% handmade manufacturing...
CUTTING, SHAPING AND DECORATING WOODEN HANDLES
SHAPING PLEXIGLAS HANDLES
CURVING PLEXIGLAS HANDLES
CUTTING, SHAPING AND DECORATING WOODEN HANDLES
DRILLING THE HANDLES
DRILLING THE HANDLES
DRILLING THE HANDLES
COUNTER-DRILLING THE HANDLES
COUNTER-DRILLING THE HANDLES
COUNTER-DRILLING THE HANDLES
INSERTING BRISTLES BY HAND
MANUAL BRISTLE INSERTION IN PROGRESS
INSERTING BRISTLES BY HAND
BRANDING THE HANDLES
BRANDING
BRANDING THE HANDLES
PACKAGING
PACKAGING
FILLING IN COUNTER-DRILLING HOLES
FILLING IN COUNTER-DRILLING HOLES
FILLING IN COUNTER-DRILLING HOLES