France · Silk weaving; Luxury textile; Lyon heritage
Velours de Lyon
The weaving of cut and uncut pile velvet on a Jacquard loom in the Croix-Rousse workshops of Lyon — the most technically demanding textile structure in the France archive. Lyon velvet encompasses two distinct pile types: velours ciselé (alternating cut and uncut pile in a single fabric, creating a pattern by the contrast of matte and lustrous surfaces) and velours ras (all-cut pile, uniform height). The cut pile is made by inserting vergettes (metal rods) through which the pile loops form; the loops are then cut with a couperet knife. The velours ciselé technique was first documented at CRAFT-0938; this record expands it to the full Lyon velvet tradition.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not listed
A contemporary studio practice by Karine, working as La Dentellière de Carton near Mougins on the French Riviera.
The management of the volcanic mineral water sources of Vichy — the thermal capital of France — including the maintenance of the source galleries; the seasonal collection of specific waters from different springs (each with distinct…
The heritage craft techniques underlying Michelin tyre production — specifically the manual construction and vulcanization skills that preceded and in specialist applications still accompany industrial production.
The double distillation of white wine in the alambic charentais (Charentais pot still) — the most tightly regulated distillation tradition in France.
The manual riddling (remuage) of Champagne bottles — the process of gradually rotating and tilting each bottle from horizontal to vertical inverted position over 6–8 weeks, so that sediment (lees) migrates into the bottle neck for removal.
The making of Pineau des Charentes — a mistelle (grape juice mutage) produced by blending fresh unfermented Ugni Blanc grape juice with Cognac eau-de-vie in the proportions 3:1, then aging the blend in Limousin oak barrels for minimum 18…
Donggala silk is the traditional handwoven silk cloth of Donggala district on the Gulf of Tomini, Central Sulawesi — producing supplementary weft patterned silk in a palette and motif vocabulary reflecting the area's blend of Bugis, Kaili,…
Hinggi is the warp-ikat textile of East Sumba — among the most visually powerful and complex textiles in the world.
A way of weaving in which worn cotton cloth, usually old kimono, is torn or cut into thin strips and used as the weft, with a hemp or other bast-fiber warp (cotton or silk in later work), on a loom to make thick, warm, durable cloth.
The Bursa silk weaving tradition — the production of the imperial Ottoman luxury textiles (kemha, seraser, çatma) in the Ottoman silk capital of Bursa, whose specific combination of silk, gold thread, and complex compound weave structures…
Paithani is a tapestry-weave silk sari tradition from Maharashtra, named for the ancient city of Paithan (Pratisthana) on the Godavari river, now produced primarily in Yeola (Nashik district) and Paithan (Aurangabad district).
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