My name is Jennifer Vaillant and I am a French hairwork maker, researcher and writer located in France, the country where this craft truly shone in Victorian times. I work with both human and animal hair (dog, cat, rabbit, horse, …). I make frames as well as jewelry keepsakes.

I also create memorial jewelry of your departed pets with their ashes, so that they will always be by your side. I also work with their teeth, claws and whiskers.

I first started as a hairwork collector, years ago. 
I got so passionate about them that I wanted to learn the craft, in order to be able to restore some pieces I found in poor shape. And give them back all their glory, since it was a lost craft, and no one, to my knowledge, could do so, in France or Europe. 

I then started extensively researching in archives, since there are almost no books about the techniques. Some documentation exists about techniques such as table work, but palette work (flatwork) or wirework had almost none. These two being the ones I wanted to be able to restore, especially flatwork. Since they were my main focus of collection. 
Through persistent research as well as experimentation for more than 2 years, I was able to gather some lost techniques. As of today, I am still researching, as there were so many different techniques in the past. And I wish to gather as many as possible, in order to revive them. I also learned how to cut glass, so that I was able to make fully accurate historical hairworks, with hair glued on glass, giving them a unique perspective. 

Alongside my artistic practice, I also conduct historical research into the art of hairwork, which I share through The Maison Vaillant Journal (which you can read here). There, I explore historical practices, forgotten techniques and the rich heritage surrounding this remarkable craft. 

Being located in France means I have access to many antique pieces, which also allows me to research extensively the techniques.

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Then, little by little, the wish for restoration started evolving as a desire for creation. On a technical point, my main goal today is to breathe new life into hairwork, while preserving its historical roots.

I made the choice of specializing in palette/flatwork, which is my true passion. The multitude of existing techniques allows me to offer a very wide panel of different hairworks.

The techniques I use include flat palette work, 3-dimensional palette work, braided hairwork (not requiring table work) as well as chopped or pulverized hair and sepia. 
Loving wirework as well, I am able to make it too, while it’s not my main focus. 

Thanks to my experience, I was able to modernize the palette work technique, in order to make three dimensional creations in addition to more classic presentations. I also developed a technique to encase traditional hairwork into resin.




Palette hairwork historical roots lay in my country, and l am truly honored to be able to revive it through passion and dedication. 

I am known to make historical accurate designs, with traditional techniques I have been researching in archives and testing since 2023.

I also enjoy making modern hairworks, giving them a contemporary twist.​ 

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Losing a pet can be as enduring as losing a family member, this is why I also offer jewelry keepsakes made with their ashes enclosed in resin. We can also include some hair or a hairwork inside, as well as their claws, teeth or whiskers. Each project is unique, just as your relationship with your furry companion was.

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MAISON VAILLANT IN THE PRESS 

 

• L'Echo Républicain newspaper - Published on August 23, 2026

Titled "Near Rambouillet, this artist creates unique works of art from hair"

"Since 2023, Maison Vaillant has been offering somewhat unconventional bespoke artworks. Human hair as well as animal hair and ashes, serve as the primary materials for Jennifer Vaillant’s creations. Working from her small studio, this enthusiast of history and hair aims to promote an art form that has almost vanished today."

Read here (in French)

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• La Clé Publique - Published on August 4, 2026

Titled "In Rambouillet, Hair Becomes Art That Preserves Memories"

"Since 2023, Jennifer Vaillant has been transforming human hair, pet hair and pet ashes into bespoke artworks and jewelry in Rambouillet, inspired by a 19th century craft."

Read here (in French)

 

• Le Parisien Yvelines newspaper - Published on August 4, 2026

Titled "In the Yvelines region, she turns pet hair or your own hair into works of art"

"Jennifer Vaillant is reviving a craft that had been forgotten for over a century: hairwork. The artist, based in Rambouillet (Yvelines), transforms locks of hair and animal hair into cherished keepsakes for her clients."

Read here (in French)

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• Tatouage Magazine - Spring 2026 issue #167

​Titled "Jennifer, hairwork maker"

​​"Jennifer describes herself as a "hairwork maker", reviving a term once used by 19th-century craftspeople. In her workshop, she blends art and craftsmanship, combining traditional techniques with contemporary experimentation. For her, working with hair means "breathing new life into the past and those who came before us," while also celebrating the living, their joys, their bonds, and their memories. Her pieces can offer comfort during mourning, but also commemorate a friendship, a marriage, or a birth. Hair, she says, is not a somber relic :  it is a radiant, intimate, and deeply human material."

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