“I’ve always wanted to do a manual job”: in the big luxury houses, the time for the next generation

Ive always wanted to do a manual job in the

Loë, 19, lady tailor

Passionate about fashion and design, Loë, 19, has been training in sewing in her bedroom since high school. “I just wanted to do that,” she says. Since September 2021, the young woman has been one of the 12 students admitted to a tailoring CAP at the LVMH Institute of Excellence in Professions, with the French Fashion Institute. And works as an apprentice in the Dior haute couture workshops. His goal ? Master the specific gestures to succeed in making parts herself. His weeks are punctuated by the workshop and the courses. Full of vintage references, such as the iconic Bar jacket, signed John Galliano, Loë wants to learn, and above all absorb, all the richness of the know-how of a prestigious house. All doors are open to him.

Charly, 19 years old, men’s tailor

In Berluti’s Grande Mesure workshop, Charly focuses on topstitching a lapel. He will achieve by hand 750 points per side. “I’ve always wanted to do a manual job, he testifies. I don’t see myself staying behind a computer.” Passionate about fashion, he decided at the age of 16 to take a tailor’s CAP at the French Institute of Fashion. And begins his apprenticeship at Berluti. “I compare costume to watchmaking and architecture. It’s a mixture of know-how and constant learning.” In a year and a half, he will pass his professional certificate.

Robin, 25, winemaker

With his BTS in graphic design in his pocket, Robin does several jobs without conviction. It is in the vineyard that he finally finds his way. “I did a summer job in Champagne and I fell in love with it,” says this young man from Lens (Pas-deCalais). He never left.

After a year in viticulture at Moët & Chandon, he is now an apprentice oenologist at Veuve-Clicquot, as part of his professional diploma as manager of agricultural exploitation in viticulture, in partnership with LVMH. At 25, he now wants to live from his passion.

Gaëtan, 24, model maker

He sewed his collars with his father’s fishing line. Since then, Gaëtan has come a long way. After a bachelor’s degree in applied arts, he obtained a master’s degree in creation before choosing model making. In 2020, he joined the Bachelor of Designer Modeling (BCM) at the French Fashion Institute. The student has been apprenticed to the Lilar House for two years. “I imagine the molding and the volume of the clothes.” For the time being, Gaëtan devotes himself to wedding dresses and tailoring, but he imposes no limits on himself. The most important for him? Rigor and “constant work on oneself”.

Arthur, 23, chef

The taste for good products was transmitted to him by his grandfather. Originally from Haute-Savoie, Arthur dreamed from an early age of becoming a starred chef. At 16, he entered CAP in Thonon-les-Bains. Professional patent in hand, he has been evolving for a year as first chef de partie at Baccara, a gastronomic restaurant with 30 covers in Evian-les-Bains. He has just won the qualifying phase of his region in the Young Talents competition for master restaurateurs. He will face the seven other finalists from France on November 21, in Brest, in the presence of Pierre Gagnaire. And after ? Traveling, opening his own restaurant and pursuing competitions, a “personal and professional” challenge, which helps him prove to himself that he is capable of it.

lep-life-health-03