The Studio.

Who is behind the studio?

Lucille Boitelle

What is your background?

My initial studies were in industrial design. However, when I finished my DSAA (Superior Diploma in Applied Arts) I designed to extend my studies to do a year in textile design, aiming to join organisations such as Kvadrat (working at the boundary between the two disciplines). In the end, I did just one year of the design school and left to undertake a 9-month internship at Kenzo. Following that, I joined the Pierre Frey house as a textile designer, and I worked there for nearly five years. I ended up working both in weaving and in lining at wallpaper.In parallel to that post, I began to work as a free-lancer in the fashion industry, and have launched my own company full time, with my own projects underway.

Describe your style.

I work exclusively by hand. This ensures that my own style inevitably emerges, but which remains nevertheless difficult i to characterise. My work is full of dreams and stories: all of my patterns are inspired by memory, reading or travel.

What are your main inspirations / influences ?

My influences are multiple : when I was a child my parents took me to museums and, I had an early passion for Matisse, Séraphine de Senlis, and Magritte. Growing up, I learned to nourish my imagination with all the threads that make up my identity: the beaches of the north, teatime under the apple tree, trips to Italy… My most recent discovery is the work of Sandro Boticelli, all of which inspires me : his approach to colour, his way of rendering how the material hangs

Which place inspires you the most?

The Guimet museum and the Natural History museum in Paris. I can spend hours there.

What sets off your passion for prints?

I cannot name a single source but it began in my childhood, and is linked to my early love of modern art. I think of Matisse’s Odalisques set against wallpaper and coloured fabrics.

Your first print memories.

A pair of floral doc martens which I got for my fourth birthday! y It’s time to re-issue those!

Describe your creation process.

Throughout the year I create thematic folders with pictures that inspire me. When the moment to design arrives I make two or three quick sketches of possible drawings on a given theme. After that, I paint all the different elements, scan them, tidy them up, and compose the full design with that. Sometimes it is very quick, sometimes it is not. What I produce is sometimes very different from the sketch I started with. But what matters is the story I tell, even if it means changing everything from the initial idea!

What is your favorite medium to work with and why?

I don't have a single favourite medium, but I do have particular mediums that I adore... NEOCOLOR chalks and acrylics, coloured pencils and felt pens, inks and grease chalk... But for repeat as well as for the colouring, I remain a huge fan of Photoshop.

While working, what do you listen?

I listen to French radio (France Inter and France culture). So I have to thank to “ les pieds sur terre”, Augustin Trapenard, “une vie, une oeuvre”, Charline Vanhoecker and all the other daily programmest!

What is your job's favorite part ?

I think it is when I present my drawings to editors. On the one hand it signals the end of a collection (and hopefully new projects to come), and on the other hand it's a special moment because it is a moment of sharing, and when my stories come to life. Everyone shares their own stories, and advice for the future, so it is also a moment in which I learn.

What type of product / sector do you mainly work for ?

Mainly luxury furnishings. But I have recently done some collaborations for the fashion and product design sector!

What do you want to accomplish in the future?

There are editors and houses with whom I have long dreamed of working,, because of their sense of craftsmanship and workmanship. I am trying to progress towards working with them.

What advice would you like to give to new designers who are just starting out?

Be patient!!! Whether it is about releasing a collection, communicating a new project, or building a clientele, everything takes time!

Have you seen the profession change?

From a software point of view, absolutely! It's amazing what you can do digitally now. But for my part, I keep in mind that they are only tools. They allow you to go faster, or to be more flexible (especially for colouring) but they do not make the soul of your drawing.