Sylvie Deschamps is our Artisan of the Month !

In this new episode of “L’Artisan du Mois”, discover the work of Sylvie Deschamps,  Art master, golden embroiderer and 2021 laureate of the Fondation Rémy Cointreau. Sylvie has a speciality in restoring old embroidery and joined Le Bégonia d’Or embroidery workshop in Rochefort, which she currently runs.

The Trade

Rochefort, the birthplace of gold embroidery since the 18th century, welcomed many embroiderers, particularly for the ornaments and distinctions of the ceremonial clothing of the naval arsenal. Sylvie Deschamps perpetuates this ancestral know-how and expresses herself in a variety of fields: she creates unique pieces and limited series for interior decoration, art, military, liturgical art, and various other projects. A profession that requires the mastery of many techniques and a significant creativity.

The Gesture

Le Bégonia d’or is the last and only gold-thread embroidery workshop in France, working with meticulous attention to detail. Sylvie Deschamps is particularly attached to needlepoint, the precise gesture that she performs with great responsibility for the fabric. Each stitch is carefully thought out, each movement of the needle guided by a desire to produce an artwork and a sense of responsibility towards the noble medium she is working with. Among the techniques she mastered perfectly, there is the work of the cannetille, which involves cutting and threading, one by one, the small springs varnished with gold.

The Transmission

Every year, Sylvie Deschamps welcomes trainees and apprentices to her workshop, with the aim of passing on this ancestral know-how. Her commitment earned her the title of Maître d’Art Brodeuse Fil d’Or in 2010, a distinction granted by the French Ministry of Culture to reward the excellence and transmission of a rare know-how.

In 2021, the Fondation Rémy Cointreau supported the workshop of Bégonia d’Or & Sylvie Deschamps in the acquisition of a Cornely embroidery machine to open more possibilities to needlepoint.