ABOUT A WORKER x L’ATELIER CHARENTAISES
L’ATELIER CHARENTAISES
We are delighted to introduce you to our newest collaboration ABOUT A WORKER X L’ATELIER CHARENTAISES sponsored by Fondation D’Entreprise Martell.
L’ATELIER CHARENTAISE is one of the first and last slipper company remaining in France. In 1907, Théophile RONDINAUD, a shoemaker based in La Rochefoucauld, began manufacturing “the Charentaises” : The french comfortable wool slippers essentials. In the 1970s: 1,300 people worked in the family business. After an end announced in December 2019, and the dismissal of 104 employees, the Rondinaud family recently relaunched its activity in order to revive its unique regional know-how under the name “ L’ATELIER CHARENTAISES”. A dozen people are now gathered in the new entity launched by Michel VIOLLEAU and Olivier RONDINAUD, great-grandson of shoemaker from La Rochefoucauld (Charente), where it all started over a century ago. Everyone participates in the manufacture of Charentaise using the famous technique of sewn back. A know-how more than a hundred years old, the technique of which remains unchanged. The human hand keeps a primary role in the company!
WORKERS AS DESIGNERS
For our collaboration we asked the craftsmen Aurélien, Dominique, José & Josianne from ATELIERS CHARENTAISES who used to work at RONDINAUD, to design a collection of three pairs of slippers , reflecting their visions of their workplace and its future. Through their crafts, working experiences and creativity, they designed together their own products, exposing through patterns and colours, L’ATELIER CHARENTAISES Identity. In order to become designers we conceived for them a design initiation based on their know hows and context. Check out below the initiation!
1 - COMPOSITION OF YOUR DAILY TASKS
We asked workers to create visual compositions through pictures, with tools and textural contents reflecting their views on their practical daily assignments
2 - PATTERNS FROM TOOLS
We asked workers to get inspired by their daily tools, and create pattern which could be easily reproducable with their crafts abilities
3 - TARTAN FROM CHARENTE
Charentaises have become iconic slippers in the 70s due to its tartan fabric use. Tartan was used in Scotland to define clans. As charentaises style have been copied overtime, we asked the participants to create their '“clan” through geometrical patterns and expressive colors. Though their art direction they were able to define l’Atelier Charentaises uniqueness.
4 - COLLECTIVE COLLECTION
After taking part in the design initiation, the participants had to define though chosen shapes textures and colors, a collection representative of l’Atelier Charentaises renewal!
FONDATION D’ENTREPRISE MARTELL
ABOUT A WORKER X L’ATELIER CHARENTAISES has been generously supported by FONDATION D’ENTREPRISE MARTELL in order to make the collaboration happen. FONDATION D’ENTREPRISE MARTELL is a residency for designers & artists giving them the possibility to develop projects with local craftsmen & enterprises.