2023-09-27 19:00:00
On the fourth floor of 19M, this elegant building in the 19th arrondissement of Paris which brings together part of the Chanel art houses, are the workshops of Maison Lemarié. Here, no draft risks disturbing the dozen or so feather workers in the institution.
Among them: Christiane Bourhis, who agreed to reveal behind the scenes of this profession like no other. “First of all, it should be noted that we mainly work with ostrich feathers. It is a voluminous, beautiful, light feather and very widespread in this environment,” she explains.
Endless possibilities
Firstly, the feather makers from Maison Lemarié, also specialized in making fabric flowers – it is to them that we owe the famous Chanel camellias – receive the feathers from their suppliers. “The first, essential step is to steam them to return them to their original shape. Then, we sort them to keep only those that have no defects,” explains Christiane.
READ ALSO Lesage embroidery, exceptional French know-howPliers, scissors, knives… Feather makers have several tools at their disposal, which allow them to give different shapes to feathers. Concretely, the latter can be mounted in “modules” on a fabric base, or in such a way that they create, on their own, an accessory, or even be placed directly on a model – dress, veil, tights, etc. – to using a specific glue.
Organza, leather, denim, velvet, cotton… Depending on the project, any type of support can be used. Maison Lemarié is one of the Chanel art houses, but that does not prevent it from working with other major haute couture houses. Ultimately, who cares about the client: excellence remains the common denominator of all the house’s creations.
Go behind the scenes at Maison Lemarié in the video above.
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