Krama or Vichy, our story
A dialogue between France and Cambodia.
1996
In 1996, when I was just four months old, my parents moved to Phnom Penh. I learned Khmer alongside French with my nanny, Dora. I later forgot the language, but Cambodia never left me.
Back in France, I could talk of nothing else. “When are we going back to Cambodia?” was a question I asked my parents, again and again, for years.
2024
More than twenty years later, in December 2024, we returned together, for what was meant to be a simple holiday. I stayed. Today I live in Siem Reap with Sébastien, co-founder of the brand.
Krama or Vichy
I grew up in a home full of kramas. My parents had brought many back from Cambodia, in cotton and in silk. Yet, once there, I struggled to find refined, contemporary everyday accessories made from krama.
The name “Krama or Vichy” had been on my mind for months. As a French woman, vichy is part of my heritage, the fabric Brigitte Bardot made famous. Vichy and krama share the very same check: the connection felt obvious. The idea of a brand linking France and Cambodia through their textiles imposed itself. And nothing is more frustrating than leaving an idea unlived!
December 2025
Krama or Vichy was born in December 2025, at the CULT fair in Phnom Penh.
Each piece is entirely handmade in Cambodia, crafted with care by local artisans and designed as a refined everyday accessory. Krama or Vichy is also a brand of boundless creativity, reaching beyond accessories toward the home and the essentials of daily life.
I hope Krama or Vichy speaks to you, and brings back fond memories, of Cambodia, or of France!
Hélène
Discover the fabrics
The two iconic textiles that inspired the brand