Why did you choose passementerie?
It was my parents’ business, but I never went into the workshop. In my 20s I figured it was time for an internship. I finally realised I wanted to work, not study. I spent three months with an upholsterer in New York and loved it, then came home to learn.
What do you love about your job?
It’s my absolute passion. I really love it when clients come into the workshop and can see all that we do – with our looms or by hand. They are often amazed to see the details and the materials. It’s extra special because we’re the last passementerie workshop in Paris.
Susanna Pozzoli © Michelangelo Foundation
Why does passementerie have a unique vocabulary?
Historically, there were many trimmings workshops all over France, and the various craftsmen almost made a game of inventing new names for different decorations. Even a standard design like a tie-back might have ended up with a dozen names.
Can you innovate in passementerie?
You can, though this was hard for me initially. I was stuck in a traditional perspective; for me passementerie equals tradition. But Anne brought me out of this and it’s exciting to see her vision, which is more modern, influence our workshop – with success!