Vosges, creation inspired by the spirit of the forest

The forest

Forestinspiration

La manufacture
 

On the fringes of the forest

In this valley tucked away deep in the Vosges, Gaston Bachelard’s words resonate: “Forest peace is an inner state”. Favoured by sixteenth-century itinerant glassmakers for its rich resources – silica sand, potash from ferns, firewood, and river water – the Saint-Louis forest is also fertile territory for the imagination.

Home & Rampart

The forest is fundamental to the existence of the Saint-Louis Manufacture, on whose border it is built. It acts as both home and rampart, a space that must be traversed, formerly on foot, today by car, like the frontier to a different dimension. In winter, these “timber cathedrals”, densely planted by Man, thick with mist, let no ray of light pass.

Time & Space

Although the Saint-Louis forest has not belonged to the Manufacture since the 1970s, the 500 inhabitants of the village of Saint-Louis-lès-Bitche continue to enjoy its riches; cutting firewood and gathering mushrooms in the chilly days of autumn. Forming part of the northern Vosges regional park, the Saint-Louis forest harbours some rare and unusual specimens, such as a tree with two feet, another whose gnarled roots resemble the fingers of a giant witch.

The Folia collection 

Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance created the Folia collection as an initiatory voyage through the manufacture and forest of Saint-Louis. In this first cross-disciplinary collection, the designer, sculptor of matter, close to nature, expresses the vibrant alliance of crystal and wood, simple lines, and modern usages.

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