Everything starts with language, which says a great deal, or so it seems, about the subconscious. In American English, there are dozens of expressions that attribute French origins to an object, a behavior, a style. Though the French character of these associations could be debated at length, we are reassured in thinking that our name is attached only to the best: from French fries to French toast, not to mention the French kiss; references to France are as ubiquitous as they are unfounded.

Though the origins of French cuffs might leave us flabbergasted, equally flummoxing are the lexical mutations by which a double-pane glass entryway became the French door, or the hunting cornet became the French horn. One would at least hope that the French drop, a magic trick in which one makes coins disappear, is not a reference to the expensive nature of our products: the truth is, our products are not only of the finest quality, but very affordable!

It is said that the U.S. sees France with more nostalgia than passion: Americans are more familiar with our traditions than with our trade shows, visit our museums more frequently than our workshops, and invest more in our antiques than in our acumen. Has France become more ornamental than original?

The ambition of our project around “creativity” is to show that France is still spry, prolific, and ebullient. The French have not lost their moxie; they radiate verve, zip, and flair.

We have chosen the term “creativity” to describe our project instead of the more static and traditional, “art de vivre,” that does not quite convey the same dynamism.

Given the creative abundance currently thriving in France, we are unable to showcase our entire collection. We have limited the scale of our project to a select group of creators, who nonetheless represent a large scope of disciplines, from home décor to fine jewellery, without, of course, overlooking food.

Draw your pencil, paintbrush, paring knife or other weapon of choice; a creative coup has overtaken the country. Made in France: Révolution by Design.

Hervé Ochsenbein has been the Economic Counsellor, Head of the French Trade Office in New York since August of 2005. In this capacity, he is in charge of coordinating the support that the six Trade Offices in the United States give to French companies willing to export to, or invest in, the United States of America.

Prior to his posting in New York, Ochsenbein was Deputy Secretary General of the Treasury and Economic Policy General Directorate in the Ministry of Economy in Paris. From 1999 to 2002, he served as head of the office in charge of the foreign agricultural policy, where he participated in various WTO ministerial meetings, namely in Seattle and Doha.

Ochsenbein was previously posted in Brazil as Head of the Trade Office in São Paulo (1996-1999), and in South Korea as deputy Trade Commissioner (1994-1996). He began his career in public service in 1990 in Paris at the Middle East Desk, and then in the Export Finance and Trade Promotion Desk of the Foreign Trade Directorate (DREE) of the French Ministry of Economy.

Ochsenbein is an alumnus of the Ecole Nationale d'Administration (1990). He holds a Juris Doctorate in Business Law and a B.A. in Public Law. He graduated from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris and is also an alumnus of the Albert Ludwig Universität (Freiburg, Germany).

Ochsenbein has also written a few books, among them a history of video games.