The Poitevine Mlanie Mignet received a gold medal in the Best Apprentice of France 2022 competition. The upholsterer was trained in Pont-Neuf.
Sometimes there are destinies that are born early.
Mélanie Mignet was created for tapestries. The story begins in third grade.
The young Poitevine, who then trained at the Théophraste-Renaudot college in Saint-Benoît, found an internship with the upholsterer of Pont-Neuf, Stéphan Hamache.
He remembers: “She loves him. She was an intern already very involved for her age. »
Love at first sight for the profession seems immediate for the young girl. After getting her certificate, she goes back to Stéphan Hamache and asks him to take her on as an apprentice. The professional refuses: “He was too young. » Thus, Mélanie Mignet attended the Dolmen high school and a training course in clothing fashion.
A first learning
through internships with Stéphan Hamache
Another path that hasn’t distracted Mélanie Mignet from her ultimate goal: to become an upholsterer. “During my training, I negotiated with my teachers to be able to do internships with Stéphan. I was granted even though it was different from fashion clothes. » The student was thus able to progress into the heart of Stéphan Hamache’s studio. “The techniques learned in clothing mode helped me in my apprenticeship in the upholsterer trade. Especially at the sewing level »points out.
To the Companions
of duty
At the end of her course at the Dolmen, Mélanie Mignet embarked on the large family of the Compagnons du Devoir with a CAP upholsterer furniture passed at a rate of fifteen weeks in Pantin and six weeks in Poitiers, always in the workshop of Stephan Hamache. It was during this year that the young upholsterer embarked on the adventure of the 2022 competition for the best apprentice in France.
For this optional test, the young apprentice Poitevin had to produce a Napoleonic-era toad stool, all made by hand to very precise dimensions. “The subject was free, so I worked in satin. »
Mélanie Mignet estimates that she spent more than 80 hours in her spare time doing her stool. “All with traditional techniques. I didn’t use staples and everything is hand stitched. »
One of two national gold medals in 2022
A know-how finally recognized by a gold medal in the contest of the best apprentice of France in upholstery. “We are only two, out of thirteen candidates, to have such an award”points out the Poitevine.
“The second gold medal is an apprentice from a large house located in Lille”, adds Stéphan Hamache, proud of his apprentice. From the beginning of the school year in September, Mélanie Mignet continued her journey by starting the tour of France, again with the Compagnons du Devoir. For her first stop, she settled in Salon-de-Provence.
In the future, perhaps she would like to play the role of trainer to convey the knowledge of an artisan profession that is stabilizing in numbers.
