From Fleece to Home

Caroline Tossan for Paris Design Week 

With an ever-growing appetite for craftsmanship, several ancient practices find themselves in the spotlight once again. Abandoned and drowned out by industrialization, artisanal wool weaving is one of these venerable techniques. “Oh, My Laine” is a program financed by the French Wool Industry (LAINAMAC) to help new firms that make use of these rare and ancient skills and are engaged in sustainable production. These treasures supported by enthusiasts come together each year at Paris Design Week to show off the fruits of their labor. This time, we’ll see them at Galerie Joseph located at 51 rue de Turenne. The delicateness of their work is an illustration of the theme selected for this year, Meta-Sensible: in a world where technology is exploding, craftsmanship, with its virtuoso techniques, grounds us in real life and in timeless, reassuring tradition. 
Felt, tapestry, knit, tufting, or quilting, to each their own technique. It always involves handcrafting, patience, and expert craftsmanship. Atelier CC Brin de Laine in Aubusson has set up shop in the heartland of tapestry, whose finest examples have been hanging on the walls of chateaux and museums for ages. CC Brin de Laine creates collaborations with contemporary artists to update this decorative art. Tissage de Sequanie, with their damask technique, weaves contemporary landscapes with incredible precision. Atelier Le Traon works with the finest wools on hand looms to make throws and scarves, as well as fabrics for cushions or chair upholstery, on a custom basis. In this case, it’s all about artisanal weaving, carried out by the weaver “with the body, heart, and mind”, requiring such patience that only around sixty pieces emerge from the loom each year. Claire Salin, a cabinetmaker who studied at Ecole Boulle, offers a new take on knits by designing furniture, sofas, or armchairs adorned with knitted wool panels that are stunningly modern. Based in the Berry region, between the Creuse and the Auvergne, she is an advocate for local manufacturing and selects nearby “wood when it’s still a tree, and wool when it’s still a fleece”. Limousin sheep, wool from the Aveyron, Mérinos d’Arles sheep with wool of incomparable quality…behind the work of these weavers lie farms that are coming back to life, and biodiversity that is saved. That’s a certain form of poetry as well.