maison des perles (メゾン・デ・ペルル), led by Môko Kobayashi, makes accessories using traditional French haute couture embroidery techniques and runs embroidery classes. With curation by Motofumi Tai, a journalist and photographer active around the world, the brand has now realized a special collaboration using illustrations by Dick Bruna, the creator of Miffy. Accessories assembled one by one with rare beads and traditional embroidery techniques are being offered.
Haute Couture Embroidery Technique "Crochet de Luneville"
One of the traditional techniques passed down for many years in the world of French haute couture embroidery is a crochet-hook technique known as crochet de Luneville (クロッシェ・ド・リュネビル).
Combining a variety of materials to allow delicate, three-dimensional expression, the technique developed in the 20th century, in the hands of select craftspeople, into a special skill indispensable to haute couture.
maison des perles is a brand that uses this traditional technique to produce accessories with French vintage beads and original beads offered in Japan. Through the haute couture embroidery classes it holds, it also shares the appeal of the technique with many people.
Dick Bruna's Characters in Haute Couture Embroidery
For this collaboration, brooches and pins were made with Miffy and other lovable characters created by Dick Bruna as motifs.
Motofumi Tai, who has long been well versed in Bruna's works, chose the motifs together with Kobayashi and took the lead on the collection lineup. The items use glass beads that Kobayashi sourced in France, along with original beads that she supervised and that are offered in Japan.
"This bead for this motif."
From choosing the materials to every stitch of embroidery and every detail of the finishing, each piece is made one at a time. While keeping the characters' charm intact, the texture of the materials and the color combinations make them accessories that blend naturally into adult outfits. Simply adding one to a blouse, T-shirt, or bag brings a subtle touch of playfulness and glamour to everyday outfits.
Brooch mf-b001
- Price: ¥37,000 plus tax
Brooch mf-b006
- Price: ¥37,000 plus tax
Pin Brooch mf-p002
- Price: ¥20,000 plus tax
Brooch mf-b004
- Price: ¥37,000 plus tax
Brooch mf-b003
- Price: ¥37,000 plus tax
Brooch mf-b002
- Price: ¥37,000 plus tax
Brooch mf-b007
- Price: ¥37,000 plus tax
Designer Môko Kobayashi
Môko Kobayashi, the designer who leads maison des perles, gained experience as a pattern maker at an apparel manufacturer before moving to France in 2004. She studied haute couture embroidery at Ecole Lesage broderie d'art, earning a diploma, and then began working as an embroidery artist based in Paris, creating a variety of works.
In 2010 she moved her base of activity to Japan, where she focuses on running embroidery classes and making and selling accessories. Her work spans a wide range of fields, including selling works at department stores, holding solo exhibitions at galleries, taking part in fashion shows, presenting collaborative works with artists, companies, and museums, and creating pieces for advertisements and magazines.
She began collaborating with Motofumi Tai, the curator of this project, in 2019, and the collaboration has been popular. Projects continue to be planned regularly to this day, and this collection is part of that series.
Curator Motofumi Tai
Born in Osaka in 1979, Motofumi Tai is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Waseda University. In 2009, as planner and publisher, he launched Dobutsu no Kuni (どうぶつのくに), the world's first magazine dedicated to zoos and aquariums. Since then he has also served as editor-in-chief and publisher of Dobutsuen to Suizokukan (どうぶつえんとすいぞくかん), the public relations magazine of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums, as well as various other specialist magazines. He has also produced and published many books, including どうぶつのくに (Kodansha) and 世界をめぐる動物園・水族館コンサルタントの想定外の日常 (SHC), along with many field guides to living creatures and related books.
A journalist who loves animals and nature around the world, and above all zoos and aquariums, he continues to travel in Japan and abroad, reporting and sharing their appeal with the whole world. His photo exhibition series "KIDZOO," a collection themed on "the moment children meet animals," is currently touring, mainly at zoos and aquariums around the world, to good reception. He is a regular member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society (JPS; 公益社団法人日本写真家協会).
About the Collaboration
The collaboration brings together a traditional French embroidery technique, rare beads, and the simple, timeless characters drawn by Dick Bruna.
One more essential element is Motofumi Tai. Tai, editor-in-chief of the magazine Dobutsu no Kuni, had been on friendly terms with Bruna since a feature in the magazine in 2010. He is already a familiar figure to fans of maison des perles through numerous collaborative projects and events. This special collection could not have come about without his curation.
These diverse backgrounds and their respective appeals are brought together through haute couture embroidery and turned into accessories that can be worn and enjoyed in everyday life. The look of each bead differs from piece to piece, and the three-dimensional feel unique to handwork is another appeal of the collection.
The nine types of accessories made this time are only the first installment of the collaboration series. They are limited-quantity special items, suggested both as a treat for yourself and as a gift for someone special.
Product and Release Information
- Release date: October 10, 2026
- Where to buy: Made-to-order sales at the Miffy Style Harajuku store (ミッフィースタイル原宿店), for about one week from October 10. Made-to-order sales also begin at the official web shop.
Details on the products and release will be announced in due course on the maison des perles official web shop and official social media.
- Delivery takes place about three months after purchase.
- Each product is available in limited quantities.
