French mourners are being increasingly seduced by personalised coffins.
The trend shines a light on the declining influence of religion in funeral arrangements in France, where more people now favour secular ceremonies.
Client preferences are often inspired by travels to English-speaking countries and many orders come from English expats in France, sources told The Connexion.
PimpMyCoffin
Le Choix Funéraire, a funeral cooperative based in Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze), is perhaps the most well-known firm to offer customisation. Its videos on social media have garnered millions of views.
It sells personalised coffins on request, with their most popular designs featuring francophone singers such as Georges Brassens or Johnny Hallyday or the emblem of the CA Brive, the local rugby club.
“One farmer wanted his coffin to feature his tractor, a haystack and a landscape picture of his farmland,” said Nicolas Dejeu, president of Le Choix Funéraire. “Another asked for a vineyard.”
The coffins cost between €400 and €600 depending on the materials and whether artists are commissioned.
Personalised coffins are nothing new. Vice magazine highlighted the trend in New Zealand in a 2021 article, illustrated by photographs of cricket and Cadbury’s chocolate bar-themed coffins.
Le Choix Funéraire, founded in 2021 in the wake of the Covid pandemic, said its first client wanted one. A Formula One fan, he had specifically requested in his will that his coffin be covered with a Ferrari.
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Mr Dejeu said that customised coffins now accounted for 30% of his orders.
Another firm, Personifia, which promises customers “a unique and personalised tribute”, bet on customised coffins way back in 2012. Some 13 years later, it sells 50 to 100 coffins per month – more than any other personalised funeral items such as slabs or urns.
Floral and countryside designs are the most popular, said Bastien Clapier, workshop manager. Coffins depicting a local or regional quirk or characteristic depend on the area.
PimpMyCoffin
Requests come in from Sète (Hérault) and Grenoble (Isère), Mr Clapier said, but not Nîmes (Gard), where the company is based.
Others companies have segmented the market such as PimpMyCoffin, which takes its name and concept from the popular US TV show Pimp My Ride.
PimpMyCoffin only produces adhesive covers for coffins – as many as 10 per day, its co-founder Alexandre Buscaylet said.
“Our offer is unique, each coffin being adapted to each client.”.
The idea behind customisation often comes from observing funerals both in France and abroad.
Mr Clapier said his father Serge, the founder of Personifia, got the idea after he attended a funeral he felt had gone too fast.
For Mr Dejeu, inspiration came at a funeral held by the Coopérative funéraire du Grand Montreal in Canada in 2015.
There, he observed a different way of conducting funerals, less influenced by religious symbolism.“There was enough space for grief but also joy,” he said.
“It was a celebration of life. In France, I never felt like people could smile or laugh at jokes or fond recollections. Everything is sombre, heavy-hearted,” he added.
PimpMyCoffin
Customised coffins are just one more sign of the fading power of religion when it comes to death arrangements.
“There are a few more secular funerals held each year. It is a slow but steady increase,” said Bertrand Ferragut, a director at Grenoble region’s funeral parlour. He said they represent 60% of all funerals his company is involved with.
“For customers, it is about allowing themselves the right to do things differently,” he added.
