Meet Margot Tillier | Fashion designer and textile artist embroiderer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Margot Tillier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Margot, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
The balance between my work and my personal time has changed a lot over time. At the beginning I had kept my rhythm of life as a student in fashion and art school, working a lot of sleepless nights to submit projects the next morning, even if they had already been finished for a long time. I no longer made a difference between a weekday and a weekend day, I just wanted to create and work as much as possible. Then over time I found a more healthy rhythm, especially thanks to my companion. I based myself on his same working hours, together we take care of our dog, chickens and the vegetable garden. Simple things that I didn’t pay attention to before. Above all we travel a lot, it frees my mind and I come back much more inspired, I love it!
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Considered meticulous and always very precise, I quickly became interested in embroidery during my studies in Fashion Design. But having an image of ancient art, cross-stitch embroidery is not so far from the pixel art known to exist only on our “modern” supports. I play on the constraint of the minimalist means imposed by this stylization: the research of the right place and the right color of each pixel is very important. Thus, going beyond the digital framework requires finding the shade of cotton thread that will adapt to the creation, which can sometimes take hours to create a dyed gradient with dozens of threads. Which would have taken only a few moments with a digital palette. Then comes the embroidery work which, once finished, cannot be modified with a single click. So I take the pixel out of its 2D support and make it physical and tangible. Then I modify its original environment and I put it on a print or change its volume thanks to constructions on a canvas.

It’s not easy to make yourself known in the world of art and design, you have to get noticed, which is not easy for someone of a shy and reserved nature like me. I often had to do violence to myself and fight against myself to oblige me to share my work.



Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love my region! The French Riviera is full of small Provencal villages like Mougins, Menton, Saint-Paul de Vence. All with their small traditional markets where you can find olives, lemons or socca and listen to the cicadas. One day you can enjoy a swim into the Mediterranean sea from one of the several beaches in Antibes or Cannes, taking with you a picnic, preferably a Pan bagnat. You wouldn’t want to miss the city of Nice and its Promenade des Anglais, visit the museums and go for a glass of rosé in the evening. Then another day you could be in a small resort of the French Alps, less than an hour away, for a complete change of scenery.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
No one in my family is in the world of art, fashion or design. That’s why I can’t thank enough my parents for supporting and encouraging me in the way I chose. As well as my teachers who taught me a lot and especially Jina Luciani, with whom I work today.

And of course my very good friend Célia Chabaudie who has supported me since the beginning of my activity and since we met.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margottofficiel/

Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MargotTDesign