FEATHERWORKER,
REVEALER OF PATTERNS AND VOLUMES

Since 2015, Maud Ruby has been exploring the potential of feathers as a material for creation and embellishment, offering applications in architecture and interior design. By merging different materials and techniques, Maud creates sleek and poetic compositions, bringing a new dimension to the classic aesthetic of feathers.

A New Perspective on Feathers

A Journey Through Material: Tradition and Innovation

After starting her career in fashion, Maud spent over five years training under Bruno Legeron, who imparted upon her the classic, time-honoured techniques and the world of featherwork. She then delved into a more modern and highly creative approach with Eric Charles Donatien.  These two experiences, coupled with her millinery training, have equipped her with a diverse array of techniques, unlocking new possibilities for her creativity.

Hybridization of Materials

By creating connections between decorative feathers, unexpected supports, shapes, rhythms, and volumes, Maud now offers a fresh perspective on a material that transcends the world of fashion to express itself within interiors. It’s all about the support and assembly. Historically, feathers found their perfect support in textiles, allowing them to be worn ostentatiously. However, this material can adapt and adhere to a wide variety of supports (wood, metal, glass).

The uniqueness of Maud’s work lies in the hybridization of materials, skillfully assembled to add depth, discover unexpected rhythms, and reveal textures. Wood marquetry, mother-of-pearl, and embroidery complement the strength and aura of feathers in her creations, giving them new dimensions.

 A Unique Approach to Working with Feathers for Unexpected Applications

In her Parisian workshop, Maud primarily works with goose, rooster, and ostrich feathers sourced from breeding farms. Dyeing, cutting, and curling offer endless possibilities in terms of transforming shapes, volumes, colors, and nuances. The flexibility of feathers, composed of keratin like hair, allows Maud Ruby to express her unique creativity. Lightweight yet very durable, feathers are a sustainable material that maintains its appearance over time with minimal maintenance, another characteristic that makes them particularly interesting for interior architecture and decoration. Maud produces her own dyes to best control the shades, drawing from her professional experience for the necessary resources in project realization: millinery for inventive supports, fashion to accompany her reflections on rhythm and dyes, and featherwork as a foundation and repository of gestures and techniques. Exploring the world of craftsmanship has enabled her to encounter and better understand the possibilities of metal, wood, upholstery, which enrich her style.

Design and Interior Architecture Projects

Maud provides her clients with a book of intentions, containing sketches of possible feather applications: room dividers, ornate furniture, wall frescoes, lighting fixtures, and more. These sketches serve as a basis for inspiration and discussion, accompanied by samples illustrating various possibilities in terms of rhythm, colour, and material combinations. Based on discussions and the client’s desires, taking into account the intended use of the space, Maud proceeds to a phase of research and design, followed by testing, before presenting initial sketches and project-specific samples.

“The craft has evolved significantly, but the material remains the same. Finding my specificity through material assembly and volume exploration allows for more creativity and collaboration. Hat-making has opened doors to craftsmanship and artisanal trades, which inspire my creations. With just four tools, their dexterity, and imagination, feather artisans create entire worlds. Mine is founded on rhythms and volumes.”

For Maud Ruby, the future of featherwork is an endless realm of possibilities. By pushing the boundaries of her craft, she is part of the new generation of artisans and creators who bring a fresh perspective to traditional materials and their applications.

You can explore an interview with Maud Ruby in the “Portraits” section.

Photos – ©Thomas Deschamps, ©Benjamin Debut, ©Helene Chalas, ©Taline Kassar