Zoé Pignolet

Embroiderer

©Marion Saupin

Embroidery as sculpture

Zoé makes embroidery art with locally sourced materials
She works with the Lunéville technique and brass
Collaborations are an important part of her approach

Zoé Pignolet creates delicate, 3D forms that blur the line between embroidery and sculpture. She works from a former silk-weaving workshop in the Pentes district, once used by the city’s historic Canut weavers. “I am truly grateful to be able to work with silk and embroidery in a culturally rich space where weaving once took place,” she says. Zoé fell in love with embroidery during an open day at the school and graduated from ESAA Duperré in Paris. Before opening her studio in 2021, she worked for haute couture houses such as Chanel, Dior and Saint Laurent. Inspired by nature, antique herbariums, Impressionism and the tapestries of Dom Robert, each of Zoé's pieces begins with a word or a walk, and takes shape gradually through drawing, volume and stitching.

Interview

©Marion Saupin

Do you work with locally sourced materials?: I prefer knowing the origin of the materials I work with, so I source locally as much as possible. I get my silk fabrics and frames from Lyon, and I try to make sure that any other material I might need is made in France.
What is your view on traditional techniques?: Embroidery is a technique taught in many schools and workshops. The craft is still quite alive, for now. It is deeply moving to know that stitches have remained the same for centuries, and are still passed down through our hands today.
What message do you hope to send through your creations?: I seek to transcend nature to offer a sensory experience in which textures and nuances vibrate in harmony. I want my pieces to invite a contemplative, meditative and awe-inspired encounter with an embellished world.
Are you influenced by collaborations with other artisans?: Collaborations allow me to step out of my comfort zone and push my imagination beyond my usual boundaries. It is an exercise that takes time, but collaborating with others is always deeply enriching.

Zoé Pignolet is a rising star: she began her career in 2020