The silver or silver metal housewife lost its appeal to young couples. Over the years, it has rather found its place on the stalls of the antique dealers to better wait for a collector at worst the founder. In Rouen, the designer Olivia Lapourré gave herself another mission: to transform the cutlery into jewelry, statuettes and decorative objects. An idea that allowed him to immediately win the 2020 craft trophy and the eco-defect label of the Seine-Maritime Chamber of Trades.
Agronomous engineer, the Rouennaise arrived there via … a circus school. “I needed to do things with my hands,” she explains. From a family of antique dealers, especially my mother, specializing in silverware, I have always been passionate about ancient objects. So, I did internships to train myself in jewelry techniques and I especially met the Lille craftsman Jacques Doudda, now retired, who transmitted his secrets to me. Four years ago, I opened the Vol’ut workshop in the historic center of Rouen ”.
Since then, Olivia Lapourré buys forks, spoons, knives, ladles, silver metal pie shovels from the baroque, art deco and contemporary time to divert them into rings, cuff bracelets, necklaces, brocals, loops Ears, vases, statuettes and other decorative items. “I wanted,” she said, “revive them and highlight their engravings and patterns.” She specifies well, her objects are made of silver metal, “not in money otherwise my creations would be too expensive for resale”.
The artisan offers its creations on the medieval markets, the creator markets, the vintage salons. “And in summer, I’m leaving on the beaches!” I also have four resellers (the beautiful Simone, the girlfriends and the Robec seagull in Rouen as well as French Paon in Luc-sur-Mer). »We also find it on its Volutbyolivia.com website and its Instagram page. Passers -by are always surprised because, at first glance, they do not recognize the cutlery. But, for many, it reminds them of memories.
“I am out of fashion”
“My customers are wide. From the woman looking for chic to the tattoo artists. From rockers for large rings to young people in recycling. I also make tailor-made. What is certain is that it is 100 % handmade and unique. Anyway, I’m out of fashion. My jewelry is out of time. “Now, Olivia wants to complete its range” with more decor “for restaurants, department stores, theater, cinema …” I have to produce more, “she admits. For that, I work a lot. The public will be able to meet him in the Rouen fleas, from January 17 to 19, at the Parc des Expositions in Rouen or on February 8 and 9 on the occasion of Normannia 2025 on the same site.