Cart is empty MEETING WITH
Mélissa Ruffault, ceramist
MEETING WITH:
MÉLISSA RUFFAULT, CERAMIST
Could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Mélissa, I am from Brittany in the Northwest in France. I have been living in the Basque Country for 7 years.
I have a degree in fashion design but I discovered ceramics a few years ago.
(Laurie: I tell her that I was pregnant too when I did my first sketch of espadrilles. Then, we talked about how motherhood impacted our lives and our search of a new balance).
Motherhood changes your perception of things. Your life will change for the better and you want everything to be connected, to be happy both in your personal life and in your professional life.
How did you build your relationship with the Beautiful (le Beau in French)?
I’ve always loved the Beautiful, I have not learned to love it. As a teenager, I liked beautiful clothes, objects, architecture. It’s not a question of price but of style.
My eyes can be caught by a elegant silhouette in the street. It’s like when you walk into a house, there is an atmosphere, something special that emerges.
(Laurie: it’s like Mélissa’s home. The atmosphere is very warm and cosy. You feel every object has a soul).
From the idea to the design of a project, could you tell us about your creative process?
It all starts with a sketch. It’s a shape that I draw with only one stroke. It helps me build my creation, to have a guideline.
Inspiration comes from everything. I really like curves. In fact, everything is round about me: my writing, my pencil stroke…
What is your story with the Basque Country and what particularly touches you here?
I came a few times on vacation and I have many childhood memories here.
I left Brittany to move here when I was 25 with my mother to take over a hotel. The project ultimately did not come to fruition. So my mother returned home and I decided to stay. At the time, I didn’t know how long I was going to stay. And in the end, I never left!
What touches me in the Basque Country… I like this strong & authentic cultural identity. I love the local facades with peppers drying in the sun, old grandpas with their black berets.
The ocean, the mountains, the gastronomy … It is a very pleasant living environment. We live outside a lot and that’s what I love!
How does the Covid pandemic impact your life?
We are very lucky here because our lives are less impacted than elsewhere. But what I miss a lot is going to restaurants, feeling surrounded by people…
What does espadrille mean to you?
The beach! I wear them when I go to the beach. It’s a shoe that you put on easily. You are not afraid of having your feet covered in sand.
And after the beach, you can go for a walk in the city center in espadrilles. It’s more elegant than flip flops!
What enchants you about the Atelier Aliénor project?
I love the fact that everything is local: the raw materials, the crafting. You are saving jobs of the people around you and you are keeping a tradition alive. I like telling myself that when I buy a pair of espadrilles, I participate in the mission of preserving this know-how.
I like telling myself that when I buy a pair of espadrilles, I participate in the mission of preserving this know-how.
We have finally come to realize that these cultural traditions are precious.
(Laurie: I tell her that the workshop is having a hard time recruiting new talents when there is fewer and fewer seamstresses. Saving this cultural heritage is going to be a real challenge in the coming years.
There is a lot of craftsmen trades that are critically endangered and no one knows these trades even exist, especially young people who are trying to find their path. However, we are delighted that mindsets are changing and that our societies value more and more manual works.
Doing something with your hands is the best way to bring happiness & fulfillment into your life!)
What is the project you are most proud of? And what are the ones to come?
Celui que je suis en train de faire pour les frères Ibarboure (restaurant étoilé et renommé du Pays Basque). C’est un beau projet et surtout un challenge parce qu’il s’agit de deux vases de format que je n’ai jamais fait avant : 65 à 70 cm de haut et 55 cm de large. Même mon four n’était pas assez grand ! Heureusement, j’ai une connaissance qui est également céramiste et qui me prête son four (on s’est d’ailleurs basé sur les dimensions de son four pour déterminer celles des vases).
Quant à mes autres projets en cours ou à venir : tout d’abord, il faut que j’honore mes commandes !
((Laurie: Inès de la Fressange discovered her beautiful creations on Instagram and ordered plates from Mélissa. She mentionned her work in her last newsletter, and Mélissa has been overwhelmed with orders since!).).
If you’d like to see Mélissa’s work: here is the link to her website and her Instagram account.
And if you are passing through the coast this summer, visit its popup in Hossegor from April 1 st to December 31 at 40 place Pasteur.
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