Chanel, Prince’s Foundation Train Artisan Embroiderers of the Future – WWD

LONDON — Chanel and The Prince’s Foundation have launched a new Métiers d’art education program in partnership with le19M, the Paris-based multidisciplinary space, creative hub and base for Chanel’s artisanal brands.

Chanel said the “highly skilled” Métiers d’art program will take place at a newly developed building that’s part of the foundation’s Highgrove training facility in Gloucestershire, England.

Highgrove is a private family estate that belongs to King Charles III, founder of The Prince’s Foundation. The foundation offers education and training programs to people of all ages in fields such as traditional arts and crafts, horticulture, architecture and design.

The Prince’s Foundation’s education hub director Daniel McAuliffe said the fellowship will focus on “hand embroidery and beading skills, providing students with access to studio space, expert tuition and materials. Throughout the program there are opportunities for students to expand their creative process and presentation skills through contextual studies, lectures, presentations and critiques.”

Six students will be selected each year and awarded bursaries to help toward the cost of living. The practice-based learning is meant to encourage creativity, build skill-confidence and prepare recent graduates to become “artisan embroiderers of the future,” said McAuliffe.

Chanel said it shares a commitment with The Prince’s Foundation “to preserve specialist artisan crafts and skills and to nurture opportunities for a new generation. This vision is supported by le19M, which houses more than 600 artisans from 11 Chanel-owned companies; the training facility École Lesage, and the multidisciplinary gallery, la Galerie du 19M.

The inaugural fellowship program began at the end of January. It is a residential, 24-week intensive embroidery program “designed to challenge and develop creative practice with a focus on skill development and refinement.”

The program is being taught at the newly established Chanel Métiers d’art Training Atelier at Highgrove, and students will also receive tuition at le19M in Paris.

The program is being taught by artisans and highly skilled tutors, according to the founders.

Creative directors of the artistic embroidery experts Lesage and Atelier Montex are offering mentorship and guidance, as is the creative director of Lemarié, which specializes in decorative feathers, flowers and needlework.

Emily Cherrington, director of The Prince’s Foundation, said “this partnership with a global industry leader in Chanel is incredibly exciting for everyone associated with our charity. We are hopeful that, by allying our passion for sustainability and craft with the culture and expertise of Chanel and le19M, we will equip students with a wide range of creative and practical skills, geared towards high-end atelier studio practice.”

Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel SAS and president of le19M, described the new program as an “exciting educational partnership. Our long-standing vision has been to nurture and develop the specialist skills of the Métiers d’art in order to recruit, train and transmit their savoir-faire to the next generation. 

“Initiatives like this program are a way to highlight today’s relevance of these traditional métiers, ensuring they have a legitimate place in the creation of tomorrow. It also reaffirms our commitment to artisan skills, innovation and sustainable development.”