Atelier Billiet is the breeding place and playground of Margot Billiet (°1972). It is located in Bruges (Belgium) a small medieval city, with a fascinating history, that never ceases to inspire.

The studio stands for a broad expertise and an innovative approach towards traditional craftsmanship.
The philosophy is one of collaboration, curiosity and respect, for past and present.

About

My name is Margot Billiet, the founder of Atelier Billiet. Born in the early seventies I grew up in a wallpapered room with a ‘contemporary’ pink and white Toile de Jouy pattern.



I totally got lost in the design! It fascinated me and I wanted to understand why the same the little butterfly kept returning all over the wall. So since a very young age I was already quite aware of the prints and repeats that surrounded me.

My love for textiles I got from both my fathers and mothers side. My great-grandfather was a ‘home-weaver’ and my father is a technical engineer.
My mother has a great eye for quality and learned to sew the traditional way. I remember the soft noise of the scissors cutting fabric and the comforting smell of a hot iron when she was working on new clothes for us.



At the age of 16, I went off and trained as a textile designer for jacquard woven fabrics, followed by a master degree in applied graphic arts. In 1995 I started my own studio.

It was the time internet arrived on our doorstep, when we evaluated the cost of a mobile phone and a GPS and we witnessed the arrival of digital printing.

For nearly 30 years I have been designing in co-creation with several manufacturers and famous brands all over the world, expanding my skills from textile design, over colour research, product development and inventing new production techniques for printing.
However much I enjoyed the challenges of these collaborations and the people I worked with, I recently returned to my true love, being heritage!

I greatly admire the crafts and skills of our predecessors and it never got out of my sight during my commercial carreer, using my little free time to read and do research on the subject.



With the practical and theoretical knowledge I have collected over the years, it is now time to contribute to the conservation, restoration and reconstruction of this heritage.
My aim is to do so by using both traditional and innovative crafts. I feel that this combination can be important to achieve unique results that stand the test of time and contribute to a greater whole.

But one thing remains, I’m a maker, not a restorer, still learning skills and meeting new people to collaborate with, who share the same passion as me. 


Thank you for taking the time to read this. Looking forward hearing from you,

                                                                    Margot
  

P.S. : Since 2022 I’m the proud owner of the Handmade in Brugge label.