Behind every hairbrush Altesse Studio , lies the expertise of our brushmakers. Day after day, they perpetuate and perpetuate the ancestral techniques of French brushmaking . Today, let's meet Enzo. At the age of 22, he proves that the passion for craftsmanship also drives Gen Z, with a thirst for learning and promoting its know-how.
Would you like to introduce yourself in a few words?
My name is Enzo, I'm 22 years old. I started working in joinery at Altesse in July 2022. I started out as an order picker, and then the team offered me the chance to try my hand at carpentry. I really liked the experience, so I stayed on! Today, I'm training in "handmade", where Jean-Jacques is passing on his know-how to me, so that I can take over the job when he retires.
Have you always been attracted to crafts?
What's certain is that I was heading for a manual trade. I started out in masonry, where I got my CAP. Then I turned to thermal installation, but I stopped before my diploma because I didn't like it. That's when my mother, who worked at Altesse, suggested I join the company. Now, craftsmanship is a family business: at Altesse, there's my mom and my two aunts.
What is your first memory of the Altesse workshops?
The fatigue of the first day: in carpentry, the work is very physical. I came home in the evening exhausted but happy.
Making a Altesse Studio brush involves 22 steps and 7 hours of work. Where do you come in?
Virtually every step of the way! In joinery, we start by cutting the wood, then decorating the squares (to give the wood its shape). This is done either automatically or on machines that we adjust ourselves. Then, for certain products manufactured under private label, there's the shaping, varnishing, staining...
For the handmade, it's a little different. You have to cut the wood, then take care of the drilling and the counter-drilling, and finally decorate and reshape the brush. For the brushes in the Prestige range, the wood is flattened at drilling before being given its curved shape, unlike the other collections.
How did you learn these techniques?
All these carpentry techniques were passed on to me by my boss, Guillaume. And on a day-to-day basis, it's Jean-Jacques who trains me in handcrafting, before he retires.
What was the most important piece of advice Jean-Jacques ever gave you?
Take your time, and be patient. Handcrafting is complicated, and you need at least 5 to 10 years of training before you can master the techniques 100% and produce them perfectly.
And what did you appreciate most about this transmission?
Let Jean-Jacques and his patience teach me all this technical stuff, especially drilling anddrilling. To put it more concretely: it's learning to steer the drill without seeing it, so that the brush can be fitted perfectly. And when you see the result at the end, it's beautiful. The brushes we manufacture at Altesse are top-of-the-range.
In your turn, if you had to pass on just one piece of advice to future craftsmen, what would it be?
Be constantly focused, and above all, enjoy your work. Otherwise, you give up quickly. I'm sure that's why so many people before me have gone over to handmade and not continued. It's extremely satisfying to see the finished object, but you have to persevere to achieve that result.
One thing's for sure: ChatGPT will never replace your profession, which is what makes it so invaluable...
It's that unique know-how passed on with passion. As the question says: we can never be replaced by artificial intelligence. It's a profession that will exist throughout our lives.
Altesse Studio has been awarded the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company) label. Does this distinction make your day-to-day work any more special?
It proves that we do high-quality work: we put all our knowledge and effort into creating the brush. It's recognition.
What's your favourite hairbrush from the Altesse Studio collection?
The one from the Prestige range for men, the handmade officer's brush. I was given it as a gift and I use it all the time!
If you had to choose a brush Altesse, which one would you give and to whom?
To my girlfriend without hesitation. And that would be the Prestige 100% handmade brush Repair & Shine. Otherwise, I can just imagine Brad Pitt, or any other man with great hair, using our brushes.
How does it feel to have your brushes exported to New York?
It shows that we're expanding all over the world. We're expanding, the company is growing, and that's good for all of us and our know-how.