Brown had been looking to acquire a French heritage brand, and he and Bolelli began discussions about expanding the company’s North American footprint and assembling the planters in the U.S.
“Our client Louis Vuitton gave me confidence that we could do this when they built their Louis Vuitton atelier in Texas. The workmanship (in the U.S.) is achievable,” Brown said.
In early 2025, Brown established Jardins du Roi Soleil’s Charleston-based operations, JRS-US. Brown now serves as chairman and sole owner. Following approvals by France’s Ministry of Culture and Paris Commerce Tribunal, he hopes to be the primary owner and chairman of the combined French and American entities as the company’s third owner in its history.
Brown said the planters are akin to the high-demand handmade Birkin handbags coveted by celebrities and high-net-worth individuals. Like some upscale designer products, discerning an authentic Jardins du Roi Soleil from imitators are the vanity nameplates that include the year it was manufactured.
All U.S. assembly will be completed under master assembler Dimitri Bertin, who will visit the Lowcountry in September to oversee initial production. He’ll return every six weeks to inspect each planter before delivery.
The raw materials will continue to be sourced exclusively from France, including the oak wood harvested from one of eight heritage forests. It’s air-dried for three years then placed in a kiln for three weeks. The iron is forged in Alsace at the same foundry that’s served the brand for over 200 years.
Raw materials are unboxed from French company Jardins du Roi Soleil for assembly of its planters bound for U.S. customers at the Navy Yard in North Charleston.
Megan Fernandes/Staff
Once in the U.S., each planter will be assembled, dipped in coating and painted atop a wooden palette so that, when completed, it can be boxed up and lifted by crane into a truck for shipping across the U.S.
The company will hire around six craftsmen to assemble the planters at a rate of $35 per hour, around $70,000 per year, Brown said.
“Charleston has exceptional training programs to teach these craft skills, often by classically trained European instructors,” he said.
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