Call for applications
until September 30, 2025
Emmanuelle Fayat - Violin making
Emmanuelle Fayat is a luthier at the Caserne des Minimes (3e). Within the confines of her workshop, she devotes herself to making, restoring, repairing, selling and renting quartet instruments. A dedicated craftswoman, she is one of the few professionals in France to perpetuate this age-old art. Her expertise earned her the 2nd Prix Univers de la maison 2024 for the "Fabriqué à Paris" label.
Holding up a violin in the making, Emmanuelle explains: " We start by creating a template, then a mold, around which we bend the sides. Each wood has a different acoustic and mechanical role. A treatment is applied to stain the instrument, which is then varnished ," she explains. Restoring instruments, often steeped in history, is another essential part of her work. " It ' s important to intervene as little as possible to respect the aesthetics, life and patina of the instruments," she stresses.
As a child, Emmanuelle played the violin. She loved the object and its musicality. A decisive meeting with a violin maker in Mirecourt, the historic center of stringed instrument manufacture, inspired her passion for the craft. In 1994, as traditional factories were gradually closing, she entered the prestigious Newark School in England. On her return to Paris, she honed her skills in various workshops, notably with a craftsman at the Viaduc des Arts, whose gesture and ethics left a lasting impression on her. In 2010, she opened her own workshop in Paris, close to the rich local music scene. For several years now, she has also been responsible for the upkeep of the City of Paris' instrumental parks.
Interested by the commitment of elected official Nicolas Bonnet-Oulaldj, who initiated the information and assessment mission on Parisian manufacturing, Emmanuelle joined the Fabriqué à Paris label as soon as it was created in 2017. She renews her participation every year, convinced of the importance of supporting local crafts beyond traditional circuits. To young artisans and entrepreneurs, she advises them to undergo solid training, to nurture their know-how on a daily basis, but above all to have confidence in their passion.
" I've heard for a long time that it's difficult to set up a business. But if you do things ethically and responsibly, it's less complicated than it might seem.
Range of violins, violas and cellos Manufactured in Paris in 2024 and 2025
Practical information
Atelier de lutherie
3 rue Saint-Gilles, 75003 Paris (Caserne des Minimes)
06.16.38.18.90 - emmanuellefayat@icloud.com
