Elsa Lenthal

To be creative with lavender

• Elsa is specialised in the creation of lavender spindles, an ancestral Provence technique
• She uses quality fabrics and ribbons from her local region
• She has her own lavender field which she grows responsibly

Elsa Lenthal discovered the art of making lavender wands when she was a child. At the age of 10 she discovered the tradition of lavender spindle making with her mother and grandmother and has been passionate about this technique ever since. As a university student, Elsa made wands every summer and sold them on the markets of the surrounding villages. She studied art and cinema and obtained a diploma from a film school in Paris. She then pursued an initial career in this sector and lived in south east Asia for seven years. In parallel, she developed projects to promote textile crafts with women's communities. It was in 2015, when she returned to Provence, that Elsa set up as an independent artisan and started to develop a whole craft collection with her lavender flowers.

Interview

©Joana Maclennan

©VirginieOvessian

How is your craft related to the territory?

My craft is keenly linked to Provence, the land of lavender par excellence. Making lavender bobbins and other products is an ancestral know-how that was historically carried out at the very heart of families from generation to generation. The spindles originally served a function in homes, before becoming a decorative item today.

What inspires your work?

Through my work, I aim to share the Provençal way of life. I repurpose vintage fabrics to weave my spindles and collaborate with local textile manufacturers to make my other creations such as sachets and pillows. I also want these traditional creations to fit into modern interiors, so I get inspired by home decor trends to design new collections.

What emotions do you want to evoke with your creations?

The emotions that I experienced as a child, surrounded by this lovely smell of lavender, this Provence sun, as well as the bond and the memories with my grandmother are deeply rooted in me. This technical simplicity, combined with sharing, makes spindle making a magical experience for me. It is very important to preserve this savoir-faire and ensure it does not die out with my generation.

What was a memorable moment in your professional life?

A French decoration TV show contacted me to do a feature on my activity and the different products I make with lavender (spindles, cushions, etc.). The recording took place in June and the broadcast in September 2019. Following this, I received hundreds of orders. It was a huge surprise. From a small craftswoman, I became a real craft business with employees and large orders throughout the year.

Elsa Lenthal is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2015

Works

©Joanna Maclennan

©Joanna Maclennan

©Joanna Maclennan

©Joanna Maclennan

©Joanna Maclennan

Where

Experiences

Initiation to lavender weaving in Provence

2 Hours

75 EUR per person