The Hôtel des textiles, in Béziers: a talent incubator that brings sewing up to date

The Hôtel des textiles, a talent incubator dedicated to thread and needle. Diane Petitmangin

The boutique-workshop also exhibits Sonia Djambazian’s clothing work for babies and young children. Diane Petitmangin

La boutique-atelier propose aussi un espace mercerie pour toutes les couturières en panne de fils, bouton et fermetures à glissière. Diane Petitmangin

Led by the Anahide association, this boutique-workshop, located in the old center of Béziers, is also an incubator for professional seamstresses who want to get started.

Mending lives. In Valérie Campillo's family, we are seamstresses from mother to daughter. Moreover, his mother, Sonia Djambazian, aka "the chef or the big boss", still holds the thread of their association Anahide, first name of the Armenian grandmother, the first to have opened her workshop.

Friday February 2, they organized an open day at their Hôtel des textiles, a welcoming boutique-workshop open since September, which is located on the street in the old center of Béziers, and highlights their creations and those of their protégés.

A breeding ground for talent

"We always had sewing workshops. And we did professional training, in partnership with the Region, for four years. But we realized that the people had a level 4 professional title, that they were seamstresses but that they lacked a little support, a little daring or a bit of both to get started and set up their business.

The boutique-workshop also offers a haberdashery area, with threads, buttons, zippers, etc. Diane Petitmangin

This is how the idea of ​​this nursery dedicated to textile trades: tailor-made clothing, alterations, wedding dresses was born , lampshade… "We welcome them, we support them, we offer them a space in which to work and, for two years, we test their idea to see if it is good".

The craze of young people

Everyone is independent but everyone comes and works on their personal project, while also being on call to welcome the store or organize workshops. "Getting started is complicated. You have to rent premises, invest in equipment, all of that is expensive. So, it’s better to be sure that your project holds up. Two years allows you to build a clientele.

If tailor-made has gone out of fashion for many – "it's a story of generations" – and that the profession is often adorned with an outdated image, Valérie Campillo notes with pleasure a real enthusiasm among the younger generations.

Creating vocations

"We have some really cool young people aged 12 to 14. They don't have anyone in the family who knows anything about it because at one point, sewing was archaic, but they want it. The youngest started with a small clutch and now she is making a jacket. This is our next project: to interest young people.

Geneviève designs stylish lampshades. Diane Petitmangin

The sparkling "little hand" of the Hôtel des textiles wants to inspire and inspire vocations. If there's one thing that Covid has shown us, it's that sewing is not something dead or old-fashioned.

Talent incubator

Valérie Campillo does tailor-made and alterations on clothes. Sonia Djambazian, the president of the association and her 80 springs create baby and children's clothing. Lætitia Faure takes care of everything related to furnishing fabric. Marie Bonnefont is dedicated to wedding, show and evening dresses and Genevi&egraveve is dedicated to lampshades. While Mireille Courtial, a former chartered accountant, dedicates herself to administrative and procedures.

And soon, artists will enter, who use textiles to make works of art.< /p>

The profession remains very feminine, sometimes with its share of prejudices and disdain. "But having welcomed women experiencing great difficulty in reintegration, many have been able to take control of their lives and take off, having independent income and a real job. And that’s not nothing."

The Hôtel des textiles, 11 rue Française, in Béziers. Contact: 09 86 43 62 62