Stéphane Ashpool & Maison Michel

From 27 March to 16 June 2024, la Galerie du 19M gave the designer Stéphane Ashpool a carte blanche, at the intersection of his creative universe and the savoir-faire of the Métiers d’art.

A look back at the collaboration between Stéphane Ashpool and Maison Michel, the resident art house at le19M, around sculptural hats inspired by American helmets and caps. Some of these unique pieces required over 60 hours of work by the Maison’s block makers, hatmakers, and milliners.

Each of the creations involved the creation of wood by Maison Michel’s artisan block makers. This work involves assembling blocks of lime wood, which are then cut, carved, sanded, and varnished to create the desired shape. The hats are then passed into the hands of milliners and hatters, who shape the hats by hand on the wooden forms.