Confidences around a square of fabric

Published 8 / 04 / 2021 Reading time: 3 min

Passionate and inspired, textile artisans in Roanne bring to life through their achievements ancestral know-how that is losing momentum in the face of today's industry. What guides them: giving meaning to their profession and having great creative freedom nourished by a certain emulation between peers. On a daily basis, they like to use natural techniques.

Thus, the designer Maud Vernay installed in Saint-Romain-la Motte, works the wool with hot water and soap to felt it. She creates the textile material only with her fingers. " You should know that the object and the material are born simultaneously ».

Jean-Michel Brissay-Chatre de Cardelaine He also makes his mattresses, quilts and pillows from wool, to which he adds down, horsehair, feathers or spelled husks. " We work in a traditional way with natural or ecological materials ". The machines are period (from the start of the activity in 1838) and are passed down from generation to generation.

Emilie Moussière, for its part, painted on several delicate materials derived from silk: muslin, pongee, blackened velvet or fashioned velvet. All always artisanal. " I do the coloring entirely by hand, with brushes or a cotton wool cone, without a stencil ».

The material, the color, the fabric... So many elements that fit together and animate these artisans. Gentleness and patience are necessary as is precision.

« It takes a lot of tenderness and sensitivity to the material », Says Maud Vernay. Touch is important, it is what guides the magic of the gesture. The visual aspect brings a certain vibration, if there is a " color harmony », Explains Emilie Moussière. 

On a daily basis, the fabric dresses us, decorates our interiors, adds to our comfort. Do not hesitate to come and discover the backstage of the Roanne craftsmanship and who knows, maybe you will leave with a few pieces to complete your wardrobe or your decoration! 

DID YOU KNOW ?

The textile activity is typical of Roannais. From the Middle Ages, flax and hemp were woven. The presence of the many rivers is an asset to operate the factories. At the time, the silk workers of Lyon found a qualified workforce in the region. Today, the Roanne textile industry still produces high quality fabrics supplying many fashion houses.