Aglaë Miguel at the Manufacture Pinton (Felletin) - 2021

With the help of the Rémy Cointreau Foundation, the scheme Know-how in transmission has left the capital to open up in the New Aquitaine region. Aglaë Miguel seized the opportunity to do a tufting internship at the Manufacture PintonAglaë Miguel took advantage of this opportunity to do a tuition course with Sylvie Lapierre, the head of the workshop.

In 1867, Jean Pinton set up his first basse-lisse looms in Felletin in the Creuse, a town close to the famous Aubusson, the cradle of French tapestry.
Since then, Pintonhas been weaving Aubusson tapestries and carpets in the finest tradition of the craft in his factory. 

"If our company is part of the Aubusson tapestry tradition, it is also rooted in the decorative arts of its time."

Liveta Coibon, Production Site Manager

Indeed, Pinton has put its ancestral know-how as a manufacturer in the Creuse region of France and as a publisher of contemporary carpets and tapestries at the service of sectors as varied as they are demanding in technical and aesthetic terms, such as aeronautics, catering, the hotel industry and the nautical sector.

"Renowned worldwide for its tapestries, Aubusson has always been a place for carpet production. Pinton is the only manufacturer in France to offer this quality of tufted carpet in addition to the knotted stitch. Pinton carpets perpetuate the Aubusson tradition by using local wool and very fine yarns, ordinarily dedicated to tapestry."

Sylvie Lapierre, head of the tuft workshop

Sylvie Lapierre joined the factory in 1998, having been made aware of the technique by her sister, who was practising it, even though nothing predestined her for a career in this field.

"Finding the best option for each project and at each stage of production: the mix of materials, the textural effect and the combination of colors that make the result work. I like to discuss with the production team the technique to be used to get as close as possible to the desired effects."

Sylvie Lapierre

Passionate about her job, Sylvie was touched by Aglaë's approach, who contacted her to do an advanced course on the tufting technique . This is an unusual request, as the technique is not necessarily well known and there is no training course. Moreover, the location of the factory in the small town of Felletin sometimes seems to discourage candidates.

And yet, they are wrong! At the Manufacture Pinton, with its 40 employees divided equally between tapestry and tufting, the atmosphere is warm.

"I was very well received by the team, where many young people work, especially in the tuft workshop, as the technique requires good physical fitness. Petanque in the morning at 9am break or cake on Friday mornings are convivial and integrating moments."

Aglaë Miguel

From the outset, the relationship between teacher and student was established in a frank manner and the dialogue began under good conditions. Aglaë, who has just graduated from the Arts Décoratifs, has a degree in graphic arts and, during her training, spent a lot of time in textile workshops. A subject to which she dedicated her thesis, L'artisanat textile dans le graphisme, for which she produced a series of textile pieces. She brought to the workshop her technical skills but also her design know-how.

A great opportunity for Aglaë who was able to participate in the realization of carpets intended to cover a living room, including the staircase which reaches it, with custom-made tufted carpets and other projects very often for the international : United States or Russia with in particular a project to come of a room of 490 m2 for which Sylvie drew from the infinite resources of the archives of the house to find her inspiration.

The course ended at the end of December and Aglaë chose another path than the one of the Pinton factory, having won a competition. However, she gained a rich human and technical experience. The tufting and tapestry workshops have retained the idea of the device, which seems perfectly adapted to them.

"The length of the contract means you can make a real purchase without any financial pressure. This means you can look to the future with peace of mind, confident that you've made the right choice."

Sylvie Lapierre