This design duo, founders of the 5.5 collective and pioneers of upcycling, are now recognized experts in the field. Their partnership, which has lasted more than 20 years, has continued to strengthen, as have their deeply held convictions. These creators, resolutely against the grain, now embrace a design focused on degrowth, aiming to slow down the world's frenetic pace. This commitment is more crucial than ever, given the acceleration of our lifestyles and the contradictions of a frenetic society that urgently needs to reinvent itself.
Claire remembers always enjoying manipulating, recovering, and playing with what she found, gleaning objects here and there to transform them. It was during a junior high school work experience placement in the offices of Castrol, a company specializing in motor oils, that she discovered the term "design." Determined, she knew she would become a designer and dedicate her career to rethinking everyday life.
Admitted to ENSAAMA (French National School of Design), Claire completed a five-year program, graduating with a diploma on the influence of form on taste. She then chose to continue her studies at Arts et Métiers, where she immersed herself in the creative ecosystem and explored the relationships between the various stakeholders in the design profession. Alongside her DEA (Master of Advanced Studies), Claire founded Studio 5.5 with her partners and became the leading figure in the rapidly growing collective. She led numerous ambitious projects, dedicating herself fully to the project, and successfully completed it. In 2012, she naturally took over as director of Studio 5.5.
Whether as designer-director or director-designer, Claire embodies this role of "troop leader" with unwavering commitment and rigor. She was also invited by the CNAP (National Council for the Arts and Crafts) to join the State's acquisition commission for a three-year term. Today, Claire rediscovers her first passions: experimenting with nature, cultivating it, savoring it, and nurturing life. She now seeks to bring her creations to life while minimizing their impact on the environment.
Jean-Sébastien spent a peaceful childhood in sunny Nîmes before moving to Paris to attend the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués. Four years later, he graduated with honors from the jury, gaining recognition for his often counter-current ideas. His final thesis on the planned obsolescence of objects marked the beginning of the founding project of 5.5. It was indeed on his initiative that the 5.5 designers collective was born, invited to pursue their "censored" reflections on the medicine of objects.
Always searching for meaning for his future career as a designer, the Nîmes native, true to his Taurus temperament, decided to continue his studies at Arts et Métiers. He earned a Diploma of Advanced Studies at the Product Design and Innovation Laboratory. This theoretical year fostered his interest in multidisciplinary projects and confirmed his commitment to prioritizing substance over form in his design practice.
Today, alongside his work as a designer at Studio 5.5, Jean-Sébastien pursues a more personal artistic approach, using objects as the raw material for his creations.
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