The Art of Crafting

Introducing the Institut pour les Savoir-Faire Français

Since 1889, the Institut pour les Savoir‑Faire Français (formerly the Institut National des Métiers d’Art, INMA) has worked to preserve the recognition and continuity of exceptional craftsmanship, ensuring that centuries‑old skills continue to flourish across future generations.

Exceptional Talents

Meet the Artisans of French Excellence

Laura Puntillo – bespoke shoemaker

Laura Puntillo, a bespoke shoemaker in Paris and the first woman in France to train under a Master of Art, creates bespoke women’s shoes entirely by hand. Working from her atelier under the Viaduc des Arts, she blends traditional savoir-faire, contemporary design and a sustainable artisanal approach.

Serge Amoruso – leatherworker and designer

A leatherworker and Master of Art since 2010, Serge Amoruso creates unique pieces driven by emotion. From his workshop-boutique at the Viaduc des Arts (Paris 12th), he elevates rare skins – alligator, shagreen, iguana and more – playing with textures, complex structures and meticulous finishes.

Cyrielle Boutantin – feather artist

A feather artisan and artist, Cyrielle Boutantin preserves and shares a rare savoir faire, which she teaches at Lycée Octave Feuillet (Paris 16th), while creating exceptional pieces that follow haute couture tradition. After ten years immersed in this unique craft, she now leads her own atelier, Cysse Maison de Plumasserie.

Florence Chardigny – floral headpiece maker/milliner

Captivated by the artistic potential of head adornment, Paris based milliner Florence Chardigny designs and handcrafts bespoke creations that are both modern and poetic. In her Parisian workshop, she explores shape and volume with passionate gesture, imagining hats, fascinators, turbans, bridal headpieces and floral crowns to match each client’s personal style.

Karl Mazlo – jeweller

A jeweller and creator since 2016, Karl Mazlo shapes bespoke pieces, using materials and textures as language. A graduate of École Boulle and trained in stone-setting, engraving and chasing, he explores Damascus steel, tin and rare stones from his atelier at the Villa du Lavoir (Paris 10th). His practice blends traditional techniques with Japanese influences, fusing them into his own craft.

Samuel Gassmann – cufflink maker

A creator and artisan since 2009, Samuel Gassmann reinvents the cufflink in the heart of Paris’s 6th arrondissement. Trained in art history at the Sorbonne and formerly a journalist, he now handcrafts his pieces in bronze, silver, vermeil, mother of pearl, or diamond, combining precision, creativity and exceptional craftsmanship.

Théo, Victor & Jimmy Stokowski, Atelier Stokowski – glassblowers

Atelier Stokowski is a Parisian blown glass workshop founded by three passionate brothers. At the crossroads of fine craftsmanship and design, they imagine and create lighting and glass objects enhanced through the interplay with other materials.

Laurence Chean – ceramicist

From her studio, Madame Chêne, Laurence Chean creates ceramic pieces inspired by the seasons and rooted in nature. Working with earthenware and stoneware, she shapes both everyday objects and decorative pieces, as well as offering bespoke creations for individuals and professionals.

The thrill of discovering French savoir-faire through materials

Chapter 1: The Gesture of Material