Xavier Montoy –Craftsman, ennobler of bio-inspired materials

Ile de France – 1991

Based in Paris, Xavier Montoy is a specialist in bio-inspired material refinement, aiming to elevate the living and non-living worlds. His educational path began at École Boulle, where he earned his degree in Product Design in 2012. He then furthered his education with a master’s degree in industrial design from ENSCI and a diploma in biomimicry (CEEBIOS). In 2019, he established his eponymous studio, conceiving it as a platform for dialogue and synergy between scientists and professionals in the arts and crafts sector. From these collaborations emerged two project areas: environmental research and the enhancement of materials through unique craftsmanship.

Electroplating (electroforming) offers a method to valorize and conserve fragments of fauna and flora by covering them with a solid and uniform layer of metal (copper and silver). This process creates unique artifacts, acting as vital conservatories of our environment and biodiversity.

2025 – Laureate of the Fondation Banque Populaire

2023 – Craftman – Homo Faber, Michelangelo Foundation

2017 – Laureate of the Grand Challenges Africa Award – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

2016 – Laureate of the International Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) Gold Medal (MIT), Best Applied Design Project / Best Diagnostic Project / Best Entrepreneurship

Research and Innovation

Xavier has developed a material from Sternocera elytra (the upper part of beetle shells, responsibly collected in Thailand), which has been transformed into a composite biomaterial. In 2016, he joined a multidisciplinary team at the Pasteur Institute for the “Mos(kit)o” project to create a biomaterial capable of detecting mosquito-borne viruses. In 2025, Xavier Montoy and Atelier George co-founded ART&FACTS, a shared space for creative work, intellectual exchange, and innovative experimentation.

Driven by a desire to raise awareness about the beauty and preciousness of living things, Xavier naturally adopts virtuous practices in his workshop. He favors organic materials and reuses copper plating baths for his electrolysis processes. He also supports local economies and partnerships, obtaining his electrolysis supplies from Parisian vendors.

Transmission

Xavier’s time incubation at Les Ateliers de Paris was crucial, allowing him to solidify his knowledge transfer by training his first interns in his method and artistic sensibility. He also conducts electroplating workshops for the public, aiming to awaken their curiosity and poetic understanding of materials. Since 2021, he has been teaching innovative materials and eco-design for the Master’s in Architecture and Design at LISAA Paris and the HESAM Entreprendre bachelor’s program at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers since 2025.

Xavier Montoy has approached the Fondation Rémy Cointreau for support in developing a suitable reception area for training and transmission. He plans to equip his workshop with additional electrolytic copper plating and jewelry-making stations (work bench, drum machine, lathe, ultrasonic bath).