Marie is a textile artists and knitwear designer, originally from Auvergne in France, and today based on Fair Isle, the UK’s most remotely inhabited island. In 2015, while studying Textiles at L’ École Supérieur des Arts Appliqués et du textile in Roubaix, Marie undertook an internship on Fair Isle with Mati Ventrillon. Falling under the spell of the island’s life and culture, past and present, Marie moved there herself in 2017. Today alongside her knitting studio and artistic practice, she hosts knitting holidays, runs her croft with around 50 sheep, and is a firefighter for the local airport. 

Marie describes her passion for wool and Fair Isle in her own words:

“My work celebrates the lineage of people on this tiny remote island, battling rough weather in the middle of the sea, who wove such intricate beautiful patterns into unique and colourful jumpers. It is my aim to carry on the traditional craft whilst still being creative. My contribution is one of sensitive innovation within this time-honoured practice.”

“Living on Fair Isle intensifies my enthusiasm for all things wool! I love wool because it’s the fibre we harvest here. I like the fact that it’s locally produced, sustainable, good for us and good for the planet. The fact that we are constantly touching the wool—from helping the sheep to birth and grow to clipping their fleece—makes the practice so much more tactile. We are then handling the yarn, knitting the jumper and wearing it too; this is a pleasing circle that means a lot to me.”