During a conference, François Azambourg sheds light on the workings of the Académie des savoir-faire, a collective professional development programme whose central focus this year is leather.
Wood, earth, metal, textile, glass, stone, paper… and soon, leather. Every two years, the Académie des savoir-faire, an initiative of the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, invites twenty professionals to explore a universal material in depth, through a forward-looking perspective. The next edition, in 2027, will be entirely dedicated to leather: a material that is both technical and sustainable, deeply rooted in artisanal traditions.
On 27 May, MAD Brussels welcomes François Azambourg, educational director of this new edition, to present its spirit and outlook.
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
As part of this event, François Azambourg will be joined by Hugues Jacquet, a sociologist and historian specialising in craftsmanship. Together, they will offer both a strategic and a sensitive perspective on leather as a material for design. Their talk will also address the key challenges of the Académie, the application process, and the opportunities such a programme offers to engineers, designers and craftspeople seeking to enrich their practice.
The conference will be followed by a discussion session, giving participants the opportunity to continue the conversation, ask questions, and connect with other professionals in the field.
ABOUT THE ACADÉMIE DES SAVOIR-FAIRE
Launched in 2014 by the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, the Académie des savoir-faire is a biennial programme that brings together craftspeople, designers and engineers around the exploration of a single material. A true laboratory of practices, it fosters new forms of collaboration and supports the development of contemporary craftsmanship in response to current social, economic and environmental challenges.
Every two years, a different material serves as the starting point for collaborative projects: wood, clay, metal, textile, glass, stone and paper. With each edition, these materials become a field of experimentation for participants from complementary disciplines, invited to cross perspectives and push the boundaries of their practice.
The programme is structured around a dynamic process in which ideas are developed both through research and hands-on workshop practice, in close collaboration with experts and specialised crafts. Through lectures, visits and workshops, participants gain an in-depth understanding of the material and develop concrete responses to contemporary challenges, particularly in terms of sustainability and innovation.
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