From 17 September, visitors to the TBC Concept Space and Collection Shop at the bank’s headquarters on Marjanishvili in Tbilisi will encounter a rare meeting of worlds: French luxury house Kilometre.Paris has joined forces with women artisans from Georgia’s Adjarian mountains. Their collaboration, Bleu de Travail, presents embroidered garments and accessories that are at once contemporary fashion and living cultural archives.
Founded in 2015 by Alexandra Senes — a former journalist and lifelong traveller — Kilometre.Paris is built on a philosophy of craft, sustainability and storytelling. Its clothing, homeware and accessories are handmade, ethical and timeless, rooted in global traditions. “We don’t just partner with our makers,” Senes says. “We build pathways to autonomy, dignity and sustainable livelihoods.”
The brand itself was born of chance: at a French flea market, Senes discovered a cache of 19th-century shirts once used as film props. Repurposed as canvases for embroidery, they became the foundation of a house devoted to heritage, travel and the poetry of the handmade.
That story has now expanded to Georgia. Introduced by botanist Zurab Shevardnadze, founder of Gardenia Shevardnadze, Kilometre.Paris began working with a collective of Adjarian women led by Melek Katamadze, who are reviving endangered embroidery techniques thread by thread. With support from TBC Bank, the project has flourished, reinterpreting Adjarian motifs while preserving their ancient codes — flowers, crosses, spirals — symbols of memory, protection and celebration.
Photo by Julie Ansiau.
Illustrator Cecilia Forteza designed embroideries for the project’s signature vest, inspired by mid-20th-century French worker uniforms. Her drawings merge Georgian imagery with universal tales, from mythical animals to endangered species such as the lynx, weaving folklore into ecological urgency.
The project also spans borders: in Essaouira, Morocco, forty women artisans have hand-woven baskets inspired by Georgia, a testament to how craft crosses geographies and carries stories with it.
Natural dyes — indigo, onion skin and other local resources — root the work in ecological balance. Each stitch, pattern and colour embodies a dialogue between Paris and Adjara, fashion and folklore, artistry and ancestry.
The results are striking. Kilometre.Paris’ designs, embroidered by Adjarian women, showcase both cultural heritage and contemporary creativity. As Senes puts it: “These aren’t just clothes; they are wearable archives — narratives of place and people, sewn with patience and care.”
Bleu de Travail will be on display from 17 September at TBC Concept Space and Collection Shop, 7 Marjanishvili Street, Tbilisi.
