This course offers an introductory introduction to featherwork, a rare skill at the crossroads of artistic craftsmanship and contemporary design. Designed for beginners, it invites you to discover the fundamental techniques, specific tools, and the infinite creative possibilities offered by feathers.

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

• Understand the history and traditions of featherwork
• Learn to recognize, prepare, and handle different types of feathers
• Use basic techniques to create feather ornaments
• Stimulate creativity and artistic expression through this natural material

Throughout the workshop, Julien Vermeulen invites participants to create their first personal piece by experimenting with the main techniques of collage, assembly, and shaping.

Beyond the purely technical aspect, this introduction is also an invitation to slow down, observe, feel the material, and allow room for intuition. Working with feathers requires precision, gentleness, and patience: it's a true moment of reconnecting with oneself and the material.

The training concludes with a group creation and a time to discuss each participant's creations, receive personalized advice, and explore ways to deepen their practice. Each participant leaves with their creation, as well as a new appreciation for a material as light as it is fascinating.

Day 1

Introduction and First Steps

Morning

• Welcome, presentation of the workshop and the history of featherwork
• Discovery of tools and materials (feathers, threads, supports, pliers, scissors)
• Introduction to basic techniques: trimming, trimming, smoothing, preparing the feather
• Practical exercise: transforming a raw feather into a ready-to-use feather

Afternoon

Simple technical exercises:

• Creating a flower or decorative motif with feathers, small marquetry work (flat installation)
• Discussion: each participant chooses the personal item to customize (hat, jewelry, shoes, etc.)
• Beginning Creative thinking: sketches or mini mood board*

Day 2

Techniques Discovery

Morning

• Demonstration of various techniques: volumetric assembly (on thread, on support), flat and decorative application
• Guided exercises: creation of small technical samples

Afternoon

• Personalized session: adaptation of techniques to the chosen object
• Selection of feathers, colors, textures for each project
• Preparation of the first pieces (cutting, sorting, dyeing if necessary)

Day 3

Launch of the individual project

Morning

• Setting up the personalized project: organization of the work plan and preparation of materials, beginning of the first stages of customization on the object

Afternoon

• Practical work: applying feathers to the object
• Individual support to correct creative gestures and directions
• Significant progress on the piece

Day 4

Finalization of personal projects

Morning

• Time dedicated to creating personal objects
• Intermediate finishing touches (applying details, corrections)

Afternoon

• Finalization of the pieces
• Enhancement and presentation: each participant prepares a mini-stage of their object (support, box, mannequin)
• Collective sharing and group feedback

Day 5

Collective work Framed

Morning

• Introduction to the joint project: creating a feather composition on a framed format (panel or canvas)
• Division of tasks: sorting the feathers, choosing the motif/design, cutting, preparation
• Beginning of the composition's installation.

Afternoon

• Collective creation of the framed piece
• Adjustments, finishing touches, and securing in the frame
• Final presentation of the individual creations and the joint work
• Closing: group photo, presentation of a small symbolic certificate of initiation to featherwork
• Workshop tidying up

Julien Vermeulen

Trained at the Lycée Octave Feuillet, a leading French feather designer, Julien Vermeulen is an outstanding designer who blends tradition and innovation with rare mastery. With a BTS in Fashion Design and a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts and Arts Sciences, he quickly established himself as a key figure in the world of haute couture and art.

Since 2015, Julien has collaborated with leading fashion houses, including Yves Saint-Laurent, Dior, Givenchy, Cartier, Lanvin, Schiaparelli, and Dolce & Gabbana, bringing a unique signature to each of his creations, combining delicacy and boldness. In 2020, he joined a Parisian house that represented him, marking a turning point by presenting his artistic work for the first time at the exhibition "La Promenade du Collectionneur" at the Hôtel Solvay in Brussels.

For Julien, the feather is much more than a simple material: it is an infinite source of exploration. Respecting ancestral know-how, he constantly pushes technical boundaries, inventing new ways of working with feathers, whether burned, curled, colored, woven, or glued, to create works of art in their own right. Peacock, ostrich, goose, or pheasant: each feather becomes a centerpiece, whether in a painting, sculpture, or decorative object.

His work Black Ocean, created in 2017 for the Espace Toguna at the Palais de Tokyo, is a testament to this virtuosity. Composed of over 12,000 meticulously cut and dyed turkey feathers, this 20 m² fresco required a thousand hours of work in just fifteen days. This feat earned him the prestigious Bettencourt Prize for the Intelligence of the Hand in 2018.
More recently, in 2021, Black Gem joined the permanent collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, confirming the recognition of his talent by the art world. In 2022, he reinterpreted a console table from the Mobilier National for the exhibition "Les Alienés," creating Eden, a poetic and contemporary homage to the feather.

Julien Vermeulen perfectly embodies the marriage of excellent craftsmanship and contemporary creativity, making featherwork a living and constantly evolving art.

• Classroom, multipurpose room, workshops with professional equipment
• Materials provided
• Individual and collaborative work
• Workshop work
• Active participation and experimentation of participants are encouraged

• Collective and personalized monitoring of work, regular updates
• Self-assessment of technical skills
• Collective feedback
• Half-day attendance sheet
• Certification of completion issued by Campus MaNa