What made you move from traditional fashion to featherwork?
Meeting Lemarié was like when you listen to music, there are some things that are more obvious than others. I not only found myself in a place where we did interesting work, but it also corresponded with my philosophy on life: taking time to do things and placing importance on people who make things.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
My inspirations are infinite. I have a fondness for everything that comes from the air, especially birds, in their structure, in the way their feathers are arranged. There isn’t a single feathered object that I create without thinking about how feathers behave on birds.
© Lorenzo Fornari
Do you pass on your skills to others?
I usually take on one apprentice or two at the most. I do not take more because I try to really give training the time it needs. I want to give others the generosity that Monsieur Lemarié gave to me. He took time to really show me how the job was done.
What's your advice for someone interested in featherworking?
The only advice I would give is to ask yourself what it means to work with your hands. You shouldn’t simply transform your hands into any old tool like a machine, you must understand that it’s about empathy and human generosity – that’s what manual work means, that’s artisanal work, for me.