Chatelin Estelle

I am a textile designer, my favorite technique is weaving.

Q&A

What craft do you work with?

I’m textile designer, my favorite technique is weaving

What inspires you to work with this craft?

Textile is a very large field!
Before, I studied object design but I needed to get closer to the material, to be able to build it. From materials chosen in the form of threads depending on the structure and technique you choose, you get a surface or a volume that tells things about origin, knowledge and culture. The materials, I consider them all. This depends on the context, that’s what I find interesting.

How do you start your creative process?

I can’t work alone and only for myself, it doesn’t make sense to me.
So all the projects I have done started with an encounter with workers and a specific context. I try to understand the needs as much as possible. And the most exciting thing is when you find the connection between all this data and the shaping of this idea.
For each project, there is a moment of hesitation because when you work with people who are used to working, research is not always welcome. But once trust is established, it is very rewarding for everyone to have produced things together.

How would you best describe your workspace and what tools could you not do without?

My work space is a multi-functional space. I work in a shared studio with other textile designers, my partner who is a master weaver, and other artisans working in wood, metal and ceramics. In our workspace there are dyeing equipment, home and semi-industrial knitting machines for prototyping and I also have my loom without which I don’t stay long! We also have a design table where I also spend a lot of time drawing and preparing samples.

Are there new techniques you would like to try?

Currently, I am researching the reuse of textile waste and would dream of working with industrial needling, and new technology to make yarn.

What have you learnt that you would like to share with fellow crafters?

The designer’s job is very rich because it is different depending on each project. Often, one will lead you to the other. Sometimes it is technic, sometimes more commercial or historical or sociologic. My studies have given me a lot, but it is on the field that I have learned the most. Because it is from surprises that you become the most creative. The best advice I could give is to confront your skills with something different in order to enhance and to improve them.

What other types of craft do you dream of collaborating with?

I would like to work with a construction craftsman, I don’t know exactly which one but I would like to use textile in space. I would also love to share with a master basket maker to learn about structures and I am also fascinated by glass artisans. Lots to do…!