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Ghyslaine Vieux is one of the factory’s veteran seamstresses. Practising her craft for almost sixteen years, she has worked on a number of models, working with leather, Alcantara, piping, and the widest possible range of fabrics, sometimes quite astonishing ones. Always with the surest of hands, a desire to learn, and infectious good humour : each piece is a new adventure in the school of meticulousness. Here she shares the secrets of what is now an iconic model in the collection: Noé Duchaufour-Lawrence’s Ottoman.
After her CAP seamstress qualification – « a disappearing craft », she emphasises – which was more clothing-related, she worked in a number of roles before starting with Cinna in 2007. « The school of meticulousness, she smiles. Everything is made to order, and with very high expectations. By the way I don’t work on all of the models. Each one of them requires a very specific set of hand movements. » And these requirements are considerable…It all depends on their complexity, most notably in terms of shape. « They are all very specific, the seamstress explains. And not one of them is easy. Sometimes everything works at the first attempt, sometimes it all needs to be undone, this can often take several hours. There are some days in which not a single stitch wants to fall into place. »
And then there are the fabrics : their weight, texture, flexibility, etc. « And as for leather, I’m saying nothing! », she says mischievously. Even if experience lends more fluidity to her hand movements. And then, one must know one’s tools well, know how to change threads and needles quickly and easily, going from seam to overstitching in a flash. Knowing models by heart, even though all the assembly plans are kept in a big cupboard in the workshop. « It’s physical work », she says.
Amongst her favourite pieces, Noé Duchaufour Lawrence’s Ottoman ranks very well. « I like it a lot, she continues. For me it’s one of the most attractive, even if I find it a little low. It’s fine if you’re young, but when you’re getting on a bit… [smile, editor’s note]. It’s also comfortable, and long-lasting. The difficulty with this model lies in the piping, which must be folded and put together, then sewn onto the seat once the structure has been assembled. When one attaches this part to the main cover, the seams must align perfectly, face to face. And then the piping must be very regular. But this is a light model, which makes the task easier in comparison to other models. »Even if it’s not always easy to predict the result.
It’s only at the upholstery stage that all is revealed, and that any potential defects become apparent. It’s here that Prévert’s saying makes perfect sense : « If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again ». Especially on an all-foam model, when the fabric is at full stretch. So it’s necessary to undo, redo, until the result is perfect. « The customer must be satisfied », she says, before concluding : « One is never bored here, there’s always something to do ! ».
The Ottoman Collection
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