Mains d'avenir — The artisan's path: Cindy, second seamstress at ERES

Through a series of portraits and stories, the series "Mains d'avenir, the artisan’s path" showcases the career path, passions, and ideas of those who "make" French craftsmanship.

Today, Cindy looks back on what led her to join ERES, a lingerie, swimwear, and activewear brand founded in 1968.

Cindy is very familiar with the workshop atmosphere—in some way, it's part of her family history. "My grandparents were upholsterers, so I spent my childhood in workshops. We did a lot of manual activities like embroidery and a little sewing. It certainly paved the way for me," she explains.

After completing a BEP métier flou (today's equivalent of a vocational baccalaureate), she specialised in the performing arts. "I did internships at the Lido and the Comédie-Française in Paris," she says. "While looking for further training to complete my education, I came across a local initiative (FCIL) specialising in lingerie: I had found what I wanted to do."

She has been working at ERES, a company specialising in lingerie, swimwear, and activewear, for eight years now.

Now the second seamstress, Cindy's role requires uncompromising rigour on a daily basis:

"My first head seamstress, with whom I worked after leaving school, was a great perfectionist. I had to do as much as I had to undo. It wasn't always easy, but it taught me a lot."

Now she is the one passing on her expertise, particularly to trainees at the Octave Feuillet vocational school in Paris, which trains students in arts and fashion professions.

"I also have a very close relationship with my colleagues. I divide up the work and supervise things. But the transfer of knowledge goes both ways," she explains. "Some of the workshop's garment workers have a wealth of experience, and we're lucky to have them on our team."

Although there are many machines in the workshops where she works, Cindy emphasises that ERES continues to work with a great deal of traditional savoir-faire.

"Yes, we only work with machines. But that's because the designs have to be produced on a large scale," she points out. "It's still a manual profession, though. You need to have a knack for working with certain materials, such as knitwear. It's a skill that needs to be passed on, because you can't learn it at school; you have to train in the workshop."

When she talks about the old machines she works on, she becomes nostalgic: "The Italian company that manufactures them no longer produces them. So the whole team tries to maintain them as best they can, to extend their life as long as possible."

At her workstation, listening to podcasts, Cindy sews, noting in passing that her favourite material "is still Calais lace". Her greatest source of pride? A leotard with a particularly intricate upper body section.

When asked what qualities are needed to work in the Métiers d'art, Cindy doesn't hesitate for a second: "Precision, consistency, and patience."

As creative as she is skilled with her hands, Cindy doesn't hesitate to put what her loved ones call her "golden touch" to work on more personal projects. In recent years, she has taken a particular interest in furniture restoration and interior design. Love knows no bounds.