Renata Boudon

Fabric sculptor

©Renata de Barbosa

Touching hearts with retro brooches

Renata likes to bring fabrics that have a history back to life
She is inspired by foliage shaped by bad weather
Upcycling has become a popular strand of her practice

Renata Boudon is specialised in the creation of brooches and hair jewels in sculpted fabrics. Since her teenage years she is drawn to the world of haute couture, handmade crafts, and unique and precious know-how. Over the years, while exercising her profession as a pattern maker, she refined and developed her technique from the different skills she encountered, such as the Japanese technique of somebana and botanical printing. For some of her pieces, the fabric she uses, she carries out the dyeing from foliage, flowers, and seeds that she picks in public parks. All of Renata's pieces are abstract compositions made up of stylised petals, hand-painted one by one and carefully lined with silk thread. They are then shaped, curved, and moulded by precise and delicate gestures.

Interview

©Renata de Barbosa

©Renata de Barbosa

Is there something about your work that people do not realise?: I like to bring fabrics that have a history back to life and ennoble them. Working on a piece and transforming it into a new object that will mean so much more than a simple brooch or hair jewel is very satisfying.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?: Wearing a brooch is very retro, but at the same time extremely sophisticated and very personal. The tradition is the brooch; innovation is bringing it up to date.
What was the first piece you made?: My first object was a brooch made with the fabric of a Hermès scarf which was stained and therefore unusable but had belonged to my grandmother. It was a thrilling experience to give it a second life.
What was a memorable moment in your professional life?: My son recently got married and my daughter-in-law asked me to make her headpiece for their wedding. She gave me carte blanche. The creative process was intense because the responsibility was huge! When I gave it to her and saw that she had tears in her eyes, it was a special moment because touching the hearts of those you love is very rewarding.

Renata Boudon is an expert artisan she began her career in 1983