Boat break
The Santiago beach-bag created by AH5 sailing, specialized in creations using recycled boat sails in La Rochelle, invites to travel. In a past life, its woven Kevlar canvas was used as a sail on the "Clin d'oeil VI" yacht. The canvas can be customized with embroidery by Virginie Certain alias Drôle de bobine.
AH5 sailing, 12 rue de la Scierie, La Rochelle. Tel: +33 (0)6 28 98 11 81. Made to order exclusively.
Bag hunting
Marina Richer, creator of the brand from La Rochelle Matlama, adores that her bags tell a tale through their fabric. Drawing her inspiration from the red, yellow and blue sails of the pavilions of the Maritime Museum of La Rochelle and as a tip of the hat to Brittany which she loves dearly, she imagined the Ciré collection, using authentic fishermen waterproofs, proposed as a pouch bag, rucksack, shoulder bag and available in five colours.
Matlama, 61 quai Louis-Prunier, La Rochelle. Tel: +33 (0)5 46 50 12 84.
Life saver
My first is a piece of a life jacket from the SNSM (French sea rescue service) whose best before date has expired, my second is a piece of a wetsuit well-used and offered with others by firefighters. My all is one of the bags made by the Remise à flot project based in de La Rochelle.
Remise à flo Store, 21 bis quai Maubec, et 72 rue de Québec, à La Rochelle. Tel: +33 (0)5 46 29 14 11. Single model.
Like a marine breeze
Like a breath of fresh air during a Sunday morning jogging session along the seafront. Savonnerie Bertaud, a soap-making artisan, wished to create soaps from the Atlantic which would be recognizable by their scents and their ingredients imagined in the Marais Poitevin, in Taugon precisely, a soap called "Brise marine" (marine breeze) made with hemp oil from Thézac.
Savonnerie Bertaud, 19 rue Pas du Minage, La Rochelle. Tel: +33 (0)9 84 39 99 58. Website: Savonnerie Bertaud
Baths sprinkled with salt galore
Salt is known for its many virtues. Including pain soothing, muscle relaxing and promoting blood flow. On Île de Ré, Pascal Dhaene had the idea of blending together plant organic essential oils (pine, cyprus, arnica), sweet orange, eucalyptus and lavender fortheir benefits in his bath salts Redbains.
On sale on the market at Bois-Plage-en-Ré every morning from 15 April to 30 September.
Deep down in the ocean
On a school trip to the La Rochelle Aquarium, the primary school teacher and photographer Stéphane Robin was mesmerized by the ballet of the jellyfish. So, he shot a series of photos where he used the incredible graphical patterns of these animals in a host of totally different realms such as tree bark, boat hulls, etc. to optimally play with the material. Each photo, available in two sizes, is printed in ten copies.
Wood and steel
Fabrice Chupeau, boilermaker turned sculptor, loves breathing new life into old materials. Sculptures of sailing boats and fish, one-shot works, are created using steel and driftwood. Since last year, the artist has also been trying his hand at large-scale creations.
Tel: +33 (0)6 42 73 63 43. Permanent exhibition at the Yatchman Hotel, 23 quai Valin, in La Rochelle and from April to October on Île de Ré.
Set sail
After rolling out a whole collection of bags made with new sailing canvas which she cut and assembled manually, Sylvie Jaouen from Esprit voiles wished to tailor her creations to the home. Since last summer, magazine racks, trays and door-stoppers, available in a dozen or so colours, have been showcased alongside her bag collection.
Esprit voiles, 30 rue Emile-Normandin, à La Rochelle. Tel: +33 (0)6 33 18 14 47. Available in stores on Île de Ré and on La Couarde market on Friday mornings from 1st April to 30 September.
Sardines are out and about
Firstly used to denounce the excesses of over-consumption and urban pollution, then painted in oil or watercolour on collages of newspapers from all over the world, sculpted in clay or plaster, or simply just drawn, the sardines solidaires (supportive sardines) created by the visual artist, Lucie Costes, from Angoulins-sur-Mer, have been popping up here, there and everywhere in exhibition-sales and fairs for over ten years now.
Atelier du clos Seignette, 1 rue Gâtebourse in Angoulins-sur-Mer. Tel: +33 (0)6 64 15 28 60. L'Echoppe n°3 place José-Cando in Fouras.
Journalist in Charente-Maritime, Jenny Delrieux loves discovering things, living new experiences and meeting people. Settled in La Rochelle, she's fond of dancing, aerial disciplines and reading, but above all she loves to set herself new challenges.