Last weekend saw the Journées Européennes Des Métiers D’Art (JEMA), an event designed to showcase the 217 trades in this sector.
Luxsure was lucky enough to take the “Moulin Rouge Crafts” tour, which introduced us to the Moulin Rouge’s boot and feather makers.
The tour began at the Maison Clairvoy boutique on rue Fontaine in Paris.
Maison Clairvoy was founded by Edouard Adabachian, known as “Clairvoy”, in 1945. It was later taken over by his daughter Chantal and her husband Antoine. Until 2006, it was a family business before Guillaume Gonin and Nicolas Maistriaux (both bootmakers in Paris and elsewhere in France) were chosen as successors.
Since the 60s, Maison Clairvoy has worked with the Moulin Rouge. Today, the company specializes in the artistic world: show business, music hall, cinema, music, dance, television, etc…
Botte Cancan / Botte Rouge available for private customers
Nicolas Maistriaux tells us that a pair of shoes takes between 20 and 50 hours to make. The famous Cancan boot takes 25 hours. Maison Clairvoy is in demand not only from the world of show business, but also from private individuals, who can order custom-made shoes. The red boot above costs €3,500, compared with €800 for the Cancan boot (which is produced in larger quantities). Shoes for the world of show business are manufactured within two months, compared with a 6-8 month waiting period for private customers.
The visit then continued to the Atelier de la Maison Clairvoy, opposite the boutique, where Guillaume Gonin is in charge of production. Here are a few photos of the shoe-making process:
The Atelier not only preserves all shapes, but also stocks a multitude of leathers of impressive quality.
We then headed for the Moulin Rouge to discover the Maison Février.
Maison Février was founded in 1929 by the Février couple. The Maison Février quickly became the workshop specializing in hat trimmings, and as time went by, the feather workers took on orders for much more ambitious creations: collars, boas, accessories…
Today, the company collaborates with the artistic world, with major fashion designers, and also with the Garde Républicaine.
In 2009, Maison Février was acquired by the Moulin Rouge with a view to preserving France’s artisan heritage, and is now housed in a loft on rue Lepic.
The Atelier uses the same techniques as before (e.g. to make boas) and has a very important plumarium. Here, for example, you’ll find some very rare feathers that are no longer exploited.
In conclusion, a magnificent tour that introduced the public to trades that are rare today, but which make us proud by being 100% made in France.
www.maisonfevrier.fr
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