What is the story of Atelier Montex?

Named a Living Heritage Company in 2013, Atelier Montex has been hand embroidering since 1949 using the Luneville crochet and the Cornely machine, working for both designers and renowned figures in the world of Fashion and Couture.

With thousands of embroidery samples, Atelier Montex continually enriches its heritage through ongoing research and new approaches, combining traditional techniques with innovative expressions in embroidery.

Aska Yamashita, Atelier Montex’s artistic director, now offers the extraordinary expertise of the embroidery workshop for decorative and ornamental projects. Cécile Léal, the managing director, ensures the preservation of a conducive creative environment, allowing it to flourish and reinvent itself.

DECORATIVE EMBROIDERY
CHANEL HOUSE OF ART

Atelier Montex is a house of art for embroider and has been part
of Chanel’s House of Art since 2011.

Aska Yamashita, you are the artistic director of Atelier Montex. Could you tell us about your journey within the workshop?

What unique contribution can you bring to interior architects in their decoration projects?

Complementary to Studio MTX, whose work involves spatial construction, we can offer interior architects a more decorative approach to embroidery. We tailor our capacity to imagine and create, along with our “Haute Couture” expertise, to their specific requests, much like we do with fashion designers.

Indeed, embroidery can come to life in a classic pattern, create a textural effect, be flat or in three dimensions, with or without a backing, on tulle or leather, and even on concrete… the realm of possibilities is vast and nearly limitless! We establish connections between our vocabulary and various techniques, such as hand embroidery, Luneville, and Cornely, to breathe life into our clients’ projects.

Where and by whom are Montex’s embroidered works created?

Located in the center of Paris in the 9th arrondissement, Montex’s embroidery workshop is comprised of designers, hand embroiderers (needlework and Luneville), and Cornely embroiderers. With their expertise, exceptional techniques, and a creative and innovative approach, this highly skilled team daily rises to the challenges for which we are commissioned.

You worked with Daniela Busarello on a decoration project. How did this collaboration go?

When Daniela Busarello expressed her desire for embroidered carpets for a project, Anne-Sophie Latil envisioned that Atelier Montex could collaborate with her and introduced us. I was very impressed by Daniela’s artistic work, which truly inspired me. That’s why the idea of interpreting her paintings into embroidery seemed like a natural choice. We met at the workshop, and the magic happened. I had prepared a selection of samples, featuring techniques, stitches, and texture effects that I believed could translate her work into embroidery. She chose some of them, and we embarked on creating two samples.

Not only did Daniela appreciate the choice of materials, colors, and the interpretation of her paintings, while striving to maintain the vibrancy and graphic elements of the artwork, but so did a client. This led to the creation of this piece.

This adventure allowed me to establish new connections and expand our expertise into equally exciting horizons beyond the fashion industry. Beyond the professional encounter, it was a fantastic artistic journey where we showcased our unique craftsmanship in service to an artist and a decorative commission. Embroidery is also about human connections, dialogues, and special collaborations that evolve through shared experiences and challenges in various domains. Our collaboration with Collection Latil is a testament to this approach.

Can you tell us about your work on the embroidered panels of the Ledoyen Pavilion, designed by Kostia?

At the end of the first lockdown in May 2020, chef Yannick Alléno (Pavillon Ledoyen) and Laurence Bonnel (Galerie SCENE OUVERTE) asked Kostia (an artist from the gallery) for a decorative installation that would enable social distancing for the gourmet restaurant.

Kostia wanted to seamlessly blend into this exceptional setting by creating an additional environment that wasn’t just a standalone artwork but the beginnings of a cohesive whole, with Chef Yannick Alléno as the conductor. The idea was to reuse the existing architecture and anchor it in a new era while preserving the feeling of being open to nature. “Seeing without being seen,” allowing the possibility of taking in the beauty of the surroundings with a glance, an artwork where the noise of service and other diners reassures us with its presence without the risk of exposure: “social discretion,” as Chef Yannick Alléno calls it.

Kostia created contemporary floral designs on stretched canvases, drawing inspiration from the four-season theme present in the Louis-Jacques Galland decor. He then designed hanging frames with removable veils, supported by brushed brass structures, giving the impression of floating in the room.

Kostia commissioned us to create contemporary embroideries based on his drawings. We combined various techniques, which, when combined, brought the drawings to life in a burst of colors and textures. The delicacy of the birds and insects near the branches created a magical ensemble.

For any internship or job inquiries, please send an email to atelier@montex.fr,
attaching your CV and a cover letter as attachments.

Photos : ©Alix Marnat, ©Tiphaine Orfao, ©Sebastian Mittermeier