Les Maitres et Elèves par ordre alphabétique

• Background and achievements
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Since 1854, in the secrecy of their workshops, Louis Vuitton perpetuates the great manual skill of the fine leather craftsman and the love of beautiful work. The latest modern techniques have joined the traditional tools. The boxwood-handled awl is still used to pierce the leather. The paring knife trims down the edges, flax thread and needle are always within reach. The know-how of the fine leather craftsman allows him to make city bags, wallets, coin purses or other luggage. Cut out the material, turn-over the leather, sew and assemble the different parts of the bag, the gesture must be patient and precise so that the product is perfect.

As one embraces a vocation, Jean-Marie Delhoume chose very early on to train himself in the fine leather craft trade. Artisan to the tips of his fingers, he masters all the steps of fabrication, from the cutting of the leather to the finishing of the product. Curious and inventive, humble when confronted with the material, Jean-Marie Delhoume has refined his know-how in the tranquil work of the times. Entered in Louis Vuitton in 1976, he earned his first stripes at the historic Asnières workshop that has seen so many artisans pass between its walls, journeymen trunk-makers, saddlers and fine leather craftsmen. A little later, in close contact with the designers, Jean-Marie Delhoume learns to give life to the sketches of the creators and to make prototypes of the most complex leather goods. Pink alligator handbags or travel furniture in natural leather, sycamore wood and steel, he made numerous spectacular models and today perpetuates his trade in the Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule workshop. Each time, he must get back to work, invent new techniques, push his limits, always with the same ardour. Because the know-how is passed down from hand-to-hand, from generation-to-generation, today Jean-Marie Delhoume trains young apprentices and new fine leather craftsmen in the gestures of the trade. With natural generosity, he teaches them to free themselves of technical constraints in order to better invent the fine leather craft of tomorrow.