From Niger to Paris
Discussion with Aude and Axelle, from ombre claire
Photos by Nina Ducleux
Valentin, Mathieu, Axelle and Aude met last year in Paris. Steeped in travel, beautiful materials and craftsmanship, and all sharing a strong ethical commitment, it was natural that they wanted to work together. Olow lent the inspiration for its summer collection to Tuareg artisans, and Ombre Claire designed motifs for clothing and accessories.
Ombre Claire is a graphic universe with a contemporary jewellery line. Aude Durou imagines and designs the models, which are then crafted by Tuareg artisans in Niger and Mali. Between the various exchanges that have punctuated these last few months of collaboration, we took the time to ask them a few questions to find out more about their world, their work, but also their inspirations and aspirations.
Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
Axelle / Aude is the hand that draws, the sharp eye that sees poetry in all the little things of everyday life. For almost 20 years, she has been tirelessly designing Ombre Claire's jewellery, following her adventures in life, which inspire her as much as nature, which never ceases to amaze her. She's a good friend who laughs all the time and also tries to make her customers laugh. And sometimes it works!
Aude / Axelle is the good fairy of Ombre Claire, she arrived to help me structure things, to make sure that everyone was happy at Ombre Claire, that the craftsmen got their orders and that customers didn't have to wait too long. She kind of invented the concept of coaching before its time. She laughs even more often than I do, and her jokes are more popular than mine!
How did the Ombre Claire project come about?
Aude / I went to Niger to see some friends after my applied arts studies, with the intention of thinking about what I was going to do with my life and taking some time out. The craftsmen got hold of my drawings and made some jewellery. I came back to France with my first collection and Ombre Claire was born.
20 years later I'm still sending them designs and they're still sending me jewellery... sometimes I don't know who started it... it's a wonderful encounter.
Craftsmen got hold of my designs and made jewellery. I came back to France with my first collection and Ombre Claire was born.
Where does inspiration come from?
Aude / I draw my inspiration from what I come across, a book, a journey, a preoccupation, the work of an artist... My collections secretly tell the story of my personal journey.
Why did you turn to Tuareg crafts? What is your connection with this culture? Why Niger in particular?
Aude / I was brought up in a family where the word ‘touareg’ had to be used 100 times a day, my father only read books about the Sahara, the house was often invaded by an armada of musicians, friends from the bush, families who had taken refuge during the rebellion. I think their culture is entirely part of mine. When I go to Niger, I feel like I'm visiting my cousins.
I think their culture is entirely part of mine. When I go to Niger, I feel like I'm visiting my cousins.
Axelle / It was our love of the Sahara that brought Aude and I together. We met in a Tuareg tent on the banks of the Marne a very long time ago, and we've crossed paths a thousand times since, at Tinariwen concerts or lectures on camel harnessing. As for me, I took my first steps in the Sahara at the age of 17 and fell in love with the desert and its inhabitants. I went on to study geography, specialising in Niger. After a number of varied professional adventures, I rejoined Aude 11 years ago to continue the Ombre Claire adventure and open the boutique atelier in the 11th arrondissement.
Can you tell us about the creative process and the exchanges with the Artisans?
Aude / When I design the jewellery, I think about how they are going to make it, adapting my idea to their skills. And then they create in their turn. Generally, I don't go back on what they've done with my initial idea, even if sometimes the jewel is very different from my design. I like the fact that the collections belong to all of us, not just me. And I trust their sense of proportion and technique, so most of the time I receive their proposals and don't touch them again. The Ombre Claire collections are a bridge between us.
You talk about an ethical project from start to finish. What exactly does that mean?
Axelle / Ethics means offering high-quality, durable, repairable jewellery manufactured under fair and equitable conditions for all stakeholders. It means having healthy and respectful relationships with all those with whom we have ties: our suppliers, the Tuareg artisans, our customers and our partners.
Since its creation in 2006, Ombre Claire has been founded on an ethical charter drawn up with the Tuareg artisans with whom we work, which sets out the commitments of each of us, our rights and our duties towards each other.
Because we can't imagine working any other way, and because it's a great freedom to interact with others according to the values we believe in: fairness, sharing, kindness, respect for others and the environment. Because we dream of a fairer, more equitable world that values relationships and, in our small way, we're trying to do our bit.
What materials do you use in your creations?
Axelle / We work mainly with solid silver and bronze. Our silver is recycled; it comes from old jewellery that is melted down to reuse the material. In the end, we obtain a very pure silver called 999 silver, which means that it is 99.9% pure. That's why it's so clear and supple, because that's what silver is like in its natural state. We like the idea of metal that moves, that lives with the wearer.
Bronze is a very solid alloy of copper and tin. It's a metal that oxidises more, but when it oxidises it becomes more yellow and matte, which is also very pretty. We like to mix metals, it's our trademark!
You often collaborate on projects, how do you go about choosing them?
Aude / All collaborations are encounters. When we meet someone who has something to say that appeals to us, a graphic universe, a know-how that we like, an ethic that we feel close to, then we want to create more links with that person, share a moment together... the collab' is a way of bringing that to life.
Can you tell us more about the pieces you designed with OLOW?
Aude / Olow saw life as ‘Fire & Joy’ this season, so we were delighted to enter their world and bring our Saharan designs.
All collaborations are encounters.
Speaking of Fire & Joy, what do these words evoke for you?
Aude / It makes me dream of a Payen christening, where all the guests would dance around a fire invoking beings of nature, all dressed in all colours, drums, guitars and the night before us... Are you available soon? I've got a field available!
To celebrate the release of the collab on 14 May, we are organising an event in conjunction with Ombre Claire at their premises.
All the clothes and jewellery created as part of this collaboration will then be available online and in our boutiques.
