Standing in
the atelier where silk flowers are made by hand for designers whose names make
the front page of fashion news it was obvious that Paris fashion week was
approaching. A constantly ringing cell
phone, special deliveries and drop in visits from clients. Somehow in the midst of all this the owner,
Bruno Legeron, (www.legeron.com) managed to offer us a demonstration of how
these delicate blooms are created.
Beginning
with silk that is starched and dried so that it can be cut into the dozens of shapes
with metal dies dated back to the 1800s, to heating the same material to soften
it so the tiny fabric pieces can be shaped to resemble the petals of a flower
each step is fascinating. Large or small
each petal is dyed a specific color (or colors) by hand in a tiny room hardly
begin enough for one person to work. The
people who do the work are extraordinary.
Clever and creative , patient and precise. The
work they turn out – stunning pink roses, tiny white camellias, shoes and dresses
covered in colored feathers or flowers seem to be touched by a bit of magic.
But this
visit was for me, more than seeing skillful artisans create pieces of
beauty. It was also reminder that not
everything in our world is made by machines.
In the days when 3D printers are about to become as much a household
object as toothbrush or TV, it’s good to remember that behind all these objects
are people. Individuals who design the
product, create the tools to make them, operate the machines and robots that
increasingly are part of the manufacturing process.
For a
glimpse of the flowers of Ets Legeron scan the pages of magazines and
newspapers reporting about Fashion Week 2014, visit their website (www.legeron.com) or watch Bruno
explain the process of YouTube.
Posts
