Claire Loraine at Maison Julien Vermeulen - 2018

Come to the Viaduc des Arts to meet Claire Loraine, winner of the Savoir-faire en transmission prize. Since January 2018, she has been doing her internship in theworkshop of Julien Vermeulen, feather worker.

Burnt, curled, coloured, glued, Julien works the pen with mastery, between tradition and innovation. Winner of the Liliane Bettencourt Prize for the intelligence of the hand in 2018, he opens the doors of his workshop to us, located under one of the great stone vaults of the Viaduc des Arts. It is in the heart of this beautiful workshop that Julien has decided to pass on his know-how to Claire Loraine and to give the means for his craft to endure.

Plummeting is an increasingly rare art form, with less than a dozen craftsmen working in this field in France today. However, the opportunities and demands are numerous: cinema, theatre, opera, fashion, advertising, art, architecture or in the event industry.

Julien and Claire form a close-knit duo, moving forward with determination and perseverance in the adventure of plucking and transmission.

We wanted to find out more about Claire and her unusual background.

Tell us a little about yourself and your background:

" I have 27 years of experience in fashion, I was a graphic designer in the ready-to-wear industry. I was getting bored with my job and then I was told that the company was closing. It was time to move on to something new. I wanted to do something manual. So I looked for jobs on the internet and I came across an advertisement for an internship with Julien, who at the time was resident at Les Ateliers de Paris. I applied without much conviction but finally I got a reply and he contacted me to meet him. I said to myself: "The planets are aligned!

How did you hear about the Know-How to Transmit Award?

"After the course, I wanted to complete my skills in featherwork and continue my experience, but I encountered great difficulties in my professional reconversion: my age was an obstacle. My age was a hindrance. I was not taken seriously in my choice to go into the crafts.

I passed my CAP Plumasserie at the Octave Feuillet high school in Paris, then I applied for the Prix Savoir-faire en transmission, which was my only solution for having a status in the trade. It allows me to validate my knowledge and to have a serious and coherent project. It's an exceptional experience. »

Why did you want to continue your experience at the Maison Julien Vermeulen ?

« My internship went very well at the Ateliers de Paris. Despite my age difference with the residents, I integrated well and there was a good understanding between us all.

With Julien, we each have something to contribute, he has a real talent for plucking and I help him thanks to my experience in customer relations among other things. »

What have been your projects in the last few months?

"We had a request from a Haute Couture house with 20 silhouettes to make, including one of 7m² made up of 70,000 feathers! This represents about 2000 hours of labour over 4 weeks, with 12 of us in the workshop. The challenge was taken up and all in a smooth way! »

One on one with Julien :

What does Claire bring to your life?

"When you're on your own, you often have your nose in your work and can't see anything else. She keeps me motivated in good times and bad. She teaches me to say no thanks to her experience with clients. She is calm, we complement each other, there is a real balance between us and that reassures me. »

Claire adds: "I almost have a maternal relationship with him because he is the same age as my children. I have a lot of admiration for Julien, for what he did at his age. Humanlyit's an ideal meeting. »

A word about the Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Hand Intelligence?

"To tell you the truth, I still don't realise it. I have received many messages congratulating me. It's very positive because I feel a real recognition in the industry, the way people look at me is changing, but I'm still the same craftsman. It's a real spotlight.

And of course it will help us financially. Already to validate the hiring of Claire and to set up projects much more serenely. The Bettencourt Schueller Foundation provides real support over the long term. Bettencourt Schueller Foundation in the long term. »

What are your plans for the future?

"We will start the preparation of the haute couture with samples to present to the houses. We are also continuing our current projects for men's and women's ready-to-wear.

Paintings are also exhibited at the Haute Facture gallery. »