Bertille Laguet

Blacksmith

©Jonas Racine

©Bertille Laguet

©Keystone Christian Beutler

The woman who conquered forging

Bertille aims to be open to everything new
Her hallmark is her first name with a hammer instead of the letter t
She received the Swiss Design Award 2017

Combining her degree in industrial design with the ancient craft of blacksmithing, Bertille Laguet aims to maintain and reinterpret the gestural and material knowledge of forging. “I didn’t really think about becoming a blacksmith," she says. "I met Philippe Naegele, a fourth generation blacksmith, at his workshop in Chexbres, Switzerland, and I fell in love with the place: an old forge, dark and full of fascinating objects and tools.” She took a crash course first, and then asked him if she could spend a day with him working as an intern. “I asked if I could come back the week after, and the week after, and the week after that. One year later, without my even realising it, forging had become a part of my life.”

Interview

©M. Kluka

©Keystone Christian Beutler

When did you realise you had become a blacksmith?: When, after a year working as a trainee, Philippe Naegele asked me to choose my hammer. It was a great moment! I chose the head that I liked the most, with the most comfortable weight for my body. Then I sculpted the wooden handle for my hand, and my hammer was born.
What is so special about working in a forge?: I like the challenge of trying things that I have never tried before. Another important aspect is having human contact with the client. But the most important of all is the sound of my hammer swinging on the anvil, the darkness around the fire, and the smell of the charcoal...
How do you combine your design skills with craftsmanship?: I use my design skills to be innovative, while maintaining traditional blacksmithing techniques. Innovation also comes from using new materials, contemporary shapes and new techniques mixed with traditional ones.
Where do you look for inspiration?: I collect books on various topics and I closely follow the contemporary design scene. But the main thing for me is the story behind the objects: how we will interact with them, how they will create an atmosphere or a dialogue, or give an experience to the people around them.

Bertille Laguet is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2012 and she started teaching in 2020