Who Is Christel Boniface?
Christelle Boniface is a French fashion designer and founder of the designer brand Stella Forest. When you think of Stella Forest, you imagine flowing fabrics, bohemian prints, and a poetic sense of style. Behind it all stands Christel Boniface — the creative heart, the founder and the visionary. For over two decades, Boniface has led the house with a singular guiding principle: emotion.
From a young age, she allowed herself to be "guided by one asset: emotions" — every gesture in her creations originates from a feeling, an instinct, a color, a moment.
Described as “an essayist who reflects on fashion while traveling,” Christel doesn’t see design as static. Instead, she embraces impermanence: nothing is fixed, everything moves.
That philosophy shapes not just garments — but a vision of femininity, freedom, and individuality.
The Birth of Stella Forest: From Wanderlust to Wardrobe
Founded in 1998 by Christel Boniface along with co-founder Raymond Bitton, Stella Forest emerged from their shared love for travel, vintage clothing, international art and handcrafted textiles.
Christel — who has described herself as deeply passionate about travel — began exploring the world at 17, drawn to diverse cultures, fabrics, and the rich tapestry of global craftsmanship.
The name itself — Stella (star) and Forest — reflects that dual devotion: “Stella” for the star each woman carries within, shining with individuality; “Forest” for roots, heritage and connection to earth.
From humble beginnings — initially with embroidered sweaters and reworked military surplus — the brand found early success by customising vintage pieces and mixing them with travel-inspired fabrics and prints.
Soon after, Christel established a Paris atelier — the beating heart where prints are designed, sketches turned into patterns, and fabrics carefully selected. Over time, Stella Forest also opened its first boutique in Saint-Germain-des-Prés (Paris) around 2004, and expanded globally with multiple stores and distribution.
The Aesthetic: Emotion, Travel & Craftsmanship Woven In
Philosophy: Clothes as a Second Skin
For Christel, every design begins with a feeling. Her objective isn’t to prescribe — but to liberate. “Fluid dresses, structured coats, kimonos or puffy shirts… clothes that move, that never fall in the same way” she says — garments that adapt to women’s lives rather than a fixed ideal.
As she once modestly admitted: “My drawing is awful” — but it’s the idea, the emotion, the instinct that matters.
Each piece becomes a second skin — gentle, flowing, expressive, and open to interpretation. Whether it’s a kimono jacket or a soft cotton-voile dress, the wearer brings her own life, mood and movement into it.
Inspirations: A Global Journey Woven into Fabric
While Christel Boniface's home is in Paris, travel is central to her creative DNA. Her journeys to India, Greece, Morocco and other corners of the world have deeply shaped her aesthetic.
Among her influences: vintage fabrics unearthed at flea markets, Japanese ceramics, Moroccan tapestries reimagined through her Paris atelier into modern, wearable art.
These global inspirations become exclusive prints for Stella Forest unique patterns that carry memory, emotion and a whisper of far-off places.
Craft & Sustainability: Humanity in Every Stitch
Craftsmanship isn’t a luxury — it is at the core of the brand. In the Stella Forest atelier, Christel works daily with a dedicated team of cutters, pattern-makers, and tailors to transform her ideas into tangible garments.
Many of the fabrics — from light double-gauze to cotton voile — move freely with the body, emphasizing comfort and natural fall. Embroideries, knotting, braiding — often inspired by Indian tradition — give each piece a handcrafted soul.
This dedication to human craftsmanship acts as a quiet resistance to machine-made, mass-produced fashion. It is also part of a broader commitment: to produce less, but better; to create pieces that age gracefully and remain meaningful through time.
Christel Boniface: The Designer Behind the Brand
While much of the public knows Stella Forest as a brand, the authentic core remains Christel Boniface herself — her sensibility, her memories, her worldview. She is the author and curator of a living wardrobe shaped by experience, emotion and care.
Christel firmly believes in the star within every woman — and in fashion as a journey rather than a destination. Her life is a canvas; each collection a chapter. The atelier in Paris is where stories meet fabric; the designs themselves are invitations to wear memory, feeling and freedom.
Perhaps this discretion is part of the magic. By leaving space around her persona, Christel invites every wearer to project her own story, her own star, her own forest — making Stella Forest less about a label, more about identity.
Why Stella Forest Still Matters in Today’s Fashion Landscape
- Timelessness over trends. In a world of fast fashion and fleeting seasons, Stella Forest stands apart. Each piece is conceived not for a year or two, but to last — both stylistically and materially. The brand’s respect for craftsmanship and quality ensures that garments remain relevant beyond ephemeral trends.
- Empathy & individuality. Through Christel’s vision, clothes become tools of self-expression — soft armour for women to feel free, comfortable, themselves. The brand celebrates difference, embracing that each wearer brings her own story and her own way to wear a design.
- Artisanal sustainability. The commitment to handwork, careful materials, slow production cycles, and a refusal to overproduce makes Stella Forest a quietly sustainable choice in a world saturated with disposable fashion. It also supports skilled artisans and preserves textile traditions — from embroidery to pattern-making.
- Global inspiration, human touch. By weaving influences from India, Morocco, Japan and beyond — yet grounding the final work in a Paris atelier — Stella Forest embodies a global sensibility rooted in human craftsmanship. It is a model of cultural appreciation, not appropriation: inspiration meets respect, and stories meet stitches.
Closing Thoughts: The Quiet Power of Emotion in Fashion
Christel Boniface may remain somewhat elusive — her personal biography beyond the atelier is discreet, and the public knows little of her private life. Yet that very mystery becomes part of the power of Stella Forest. The clothes are not about a silhouette, but a soul; not about a model, but a feeling.
Through Stella Forest, Christel offers more than garments — she offers a philosophy: that clothing can be an act of emotion, a voyage, a testament to freedom and individuality. In a world of mass production and homogenised style, that stands as a gentle but resolute act of artistry.
If you resonate with this vision — of clothes that travel, breathe, evolve — you may want to explore the latest Stella Forest collection or discover our edited range French fashion for women.
