Atelier des Bleus
We are opening an academy at Château Lamotte-Bardigues, in Tarn-et-Garonne — continuing thirty years of family history around pastel.
« Of all the alchemies, I work for the most beautiful, the alchemy of Woad »
Goal: €30,000
A rare craft is reborn
Discover the Académie du Pastel d’Occitanie and the place that will house it.
Thirty yearsof blue
In 1993, two enthusiasts — Henri, a Belgian, and Denise, an American, former gallerists in Redu — bought an old tannery in the Gers. While renovating the walls, they discovered shutters of an unexpected blue. This blue has a history: that of pastel, a dye plant that brought the region its fortune in the 16th century before being abandoned under Napoleon.
They rediscovered the pigment extraction process and created Bleu de Lectoure. What began as a curiosity became an international adventure: haute couture, Cannes Film Festival, Fashion Weeks, artists from around the world.
At Henri's passing in 2010, the company was sold in 2016. Mariam and Denise continue under the name L'Atelier des Bleus Pastel d'Occitanie — extraction, dyeing, ennobling, workshops and the transmission of the craft, with clients from across the world.
The Gers tannery
Discovery of the blue shutters and the secrets of Occitan pastel.
Bleu de Lectoure
Birth of a world-renowned company: haute couture, Cannes, Fashion Weeks.
A turning point
At Henri's passing, transmission becomes a central question.
Atelier des Bleus
Mariam takes up the torch as a sole trader in Roumens, with Denise by her side.
The Academy — Château Lamotte-Bardigues
A place of transmission comes to life. The blue continues.
Mariam & Denise
Two generations, the same blue. Mariam extracts, dyes, ennobles. Denise transmits and tells. Together, they carry thirty years of craft toward a place that looks like them.
Mariam Lambert
Master dyer — Atelier des Bleus Pastel d'Occitanie
Mariam took up the family torch in 2016. A sole trader in Roumens, she practises pigment extraction, pastel dyeing and textile finishing for haute couture clients, artists and individuals.
Denise Lambert
Co-founder of Bleu de Lectoure — transmission & storytelling
Denise co-founded Bleu de Lectoure in 1993 with Henri. Thirty years on, she supports Mariam in passing on the craft and telling the story of Occitan pastel.
An academyto transmitthe art of pastel
One of the outbuildings of Château Lamotte-Bardigues — a listed Monument Historique in Tarn-et-Garonne — will become an academy devoted to pastel extraction and dyeing, textile finishing, fibre knowledge and its transmission.
Two complementary spaces at the heart of an exceptional heritage: an outbuilding dedicated to dyeing, exhibition and the library, and a former winery refitted for courses and transmission.
It is as much a life project as a craft project. We anchor it in thirty years of family history and open it toward the next thirty.
Pastel dyeing, finishing and textile creation for individuals and businesses, in a unique heritage setting.
Immersive workshops on pastel in a former winery: pigment extraction, dyeing, finishing, fibre knowledge — led by Mariam and Denise.
An exhibition space with pigment cabinets and a library, open to the public and to groups.
€30,000to build the place
Two spaces to renovate: one of the château outbuildings and an adjoining former winery. Every euro raised goes directly to the work, documented here in real time.
Structural consolidation, wall repair of the main outbuilding.
Wall and ceiling repair of the former winery, weatherproofing.
Bringing both spaces up to code, installing water supplies for the dyeing workshop.
Restoration of the joinery, fabrication of exhibition cabinets for pigments and samples.
Workshop tiling, plaster and paint in both spaces.
Buffer for build-site surprises and Ulule platform fees.
In the press
Occitanie’s pastel blue has drawn the attention of the French and international press.
Craftsmanship: The Woad Blue Dye of France
2025
In Lectoure, in search of the dyers’ legendary pastel blue
Bleus Pastel d’Occitanie
L’Œuvre au bleu
Sur les traces d’Henri et Denise Lambert
Chantal Armagnac — Un Autre Reg’Art Éditions
Occitanie’s woad know-how has been listed as French intangible cultural heritage since June 2021. This book follows Henri and Denise Lambert, who settled in Lectoure in 1993, and how they persuaded farmers and scientists to join them — alongside the history of woad in the Pays de Cocagne and the chemistry behind the blue.
What you receive
A heartfelt gift
A donation with no reward, for those who simply wish to support the revival of this rare know-how. Your generosity touches and carries us.
A pinch of blue
A heartfelt thank you. You will receive a personalised note of thanks, and your name will appear among our first supporters.
A glimmer of pastel
A sample of hand-dyed woad fabric from our workshop, together with a note of thanks. A fragment of blue to keep close to you.
The blue gesture
A one-day woad dyeing workshop for one person, at the Academy of the Château Lamotte-Bardigues, as soon as the first workshop opens (spring 2027). Dyeing materials are provided; you bring your own fabric. Lunch is prepared together on site, everyone bringing something to share. Dinner and accommodation at your own expense.
The transmission
A one-day dyeing workshop for one person (same practical details as "The blue gesture"), plus an invitation to the official opening day of the Academy in spring 2027 — a unique moment to discover the place and celebrate its opening with us.
The immersion
A three-day woad dyeing workshop for four people at the Academy, led by Mariam and Denise, as soon as the first workshop opens (spring 2027). Dyeing materials are provided; each participant brings their own fabric. Lunches are prepared together on site in a spirit of sharing. Dinners and accommodation at the participants' expense. The four people attend together over the three days.
Follow the work
The latest logbook entries — notes, photographs, reflections.
The first logbook entries are coming soon.
Getin touch
For any question about the project, workshops or dye commissions, feel free to write to us.
samedi 19 septembre 2026 — dimanche 20 septembre 20269am – 7pm, Saturday and Sunday
« Every dyeing gesture is an act of memory. Help us create the place for it. »