Nelly Saunier

Featherworker | Paris, France

Recommended by

L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts

Finding treasures in feathers

Innovation is the foundation of Nelly's work with feathers
Her signature style aims to astonish the viewer
She won the Prix Liliane Bettencourt pour l'intelligence de la main in 2009

Passionate about nature and birds as a child, Nelly Saunier discovered her vocation at the age of 14 and has never looked back. She studied feather design for three years at the Ecole Octave Feuillet and went on to finish her training in textile design at the Ensaama School of Art and Design in Paris. Beyond her work with feathers, she has also mastered drawing, textile design, dyeing and embroidery. “What I love about my craft is the making part, to be directly involved in the work and in creating, from start to finish,” she says. “Crafting a real identity, like a language, a unique and personal script,” brings Nelly great joy.

Interview

What made you choose featherwork?: A feather is an emotion. It creates an illusion, an invisible link to nature. I appreciate nature’s purity and simplicity – birds are born with this elegance, their appearance doesn’t lie. There’s a freedom in the expression of this beauty, a spontaneity I share.
Which is a memorable piece of work?: The Boléro Perroquet I created for Jean-Paul Gaultier’s first haute couture show in 1997 really marked a stage of my professional journey. It also created an unsettling visual shock in the way it straddled the two worlds of clothing and sculpture.
How important is innovation to you?: For over 40 years my work has been built around researching and developing the feather as a material, transcending traditional techniques to invent new creative and artistic universes. I am always experimenting, pushing the material as far as it will go.
What is your relationship with colour?: I place an incredible emphasis on colour – in both my life and my work. Colour is vital, and I believe in its therapeutic qualities. In my work, its nuances and intrinsic richness give me space to play; as a material, feathers harbour extraordinary treasures.

Nelly Saunier is a master artisan: she began her career in 1984 and she started teaching in 1989