Sébastien Lepeu

Gustave Maurice

Leatherworker

©Gustave Maurice

Original origami and other leather goods

Sébastien loves to create timeless leather accessories
His leather work extends to origami sculptures and lamps
He refers to his working process as poetry

Sébastien Lepeu is the craftsman behind the Gustave Maurice label. Master in the French art of saddle making and fine leather, he creates collections of classic bags and small goods. In a parallel series, he lets his creativity express itself in arresting origami sculptures. As surprising as they are elegant, he confers on leatherwork a new dimension. It is a fortuitous meeting with an artisan that convinced Sébastien to follow his first passion: working with his hands. After several years of studying in the audio-visual field, he turned to choose the path of craftsmanship and started training in a Compagnon du devoir workshop. Precision, harmony, and patience are the founding values of this traditional craft that Sébastien seeks to honour in each of his gestures.

Interview

©Gustave Maurice

©Gustave Maurice

What inspired you to start working with leather?: In 2009, I went to see a leatherworker to discover his workshop. I was instantly enthusiastic about the whole universe: the atelier with the tools and the smell of leather, the traditional know how with a set of techniques to be mastered. I immediately wanted to take up the challenge of being able to master them myself.
How do you engage with innovation in this traditional craft?: Innovation for me lies in the use of traditional techniques that serve a creation that is not traditional: the origami sculpture. I recreate an animal which lacks facets. The creative process is disconnected from leather, as I work with paper and folds. The result raises questions as to the material used.
What is your main source of inspiration?: I am often asked whether I can do animals other than birds. But the truth is they do not inspire me. I am passionate about waders; they are a mix of elegance and fragility. I would like to spend more time observing them. To see them, you must not be seen, it requires calm and patience, like in my craft.
Is there anything about your work that people are generally unaware of?: People are often impressed by bird sculptures once they know they are made of leather, when in fact the work that goes into making a classic bag is, without exaggeration, ten times more technical and takes years of work.

Sébastien Lepeu is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2012