To access Louis Lepais, you have to climb. Climb onto the scaffolding where he is perched. That Tuesday, he took care of an Orléans brand. He is tracing the black shadow of an “E” of “Brasserie Le Châtelet”. Meticulously and with great agility, he handles his sable hair brush, which he turns and turns according to the desired angle. He leans on a “Mahl Stick”, a stick, to stabilize his hand. The day before, he started painting the sign of this establishment which is on the corner between Place du Châtelet and Rue Péreira.
A profession that has fallen into disuse
His art had its heyday until the 1950s and 1960s, before falling into disuse in the 1980s, with the rise of Plexiglas. “In the 2010s, there was a film in the United States and a book on “sign painters”. It came back into fashion in Paris, during my studies. And it’s thanks to that that I I’m turned towards this profession”, explains the young 29-year-old entrepreneur, who co-founded his company, Enseignes Brillo, based in Paris. It offers two techniques: painting on a support (stone, metal, wood, glass, etc.) and gilding on glass.
The Abraysien, who did all his schooling in Orléans, first studied applied arts at the Estienne school. “I learned graphics, design and then typographic design there for two years. They only take around ten students each year.” But the job involves a lot of computer work. However, “that’s not what interests me the most.” The discovery of the profession of painter of letters, which his great-grandfather already practiced in 1910 in Artenay, was a revelation. “Our work comes to life, it’s satisfying to see the end result.”
He learned the trade in London, on the job
He completed his end-of-studies internship, then worked for a year, in 2018 and 2019, with Ged Palmer, a renowned letter painter in London. “He is young, but he is very good! He has a lot of creativity, he draws everything he paints. I learned the trade there, the gesture, it takes months and years to acquire . We are not looking for perfection, but a clean gesture and letters with nervousness.”
At the time of Brexit and Covid, he set out on his own, in Paris. “The advantage was that I had a lot of background in graphic design, so I also offered to create logos, business cards, in addition to signs. I looked around my network. That was enough worked quickly, because, after Covid, there were lots of openings. My clients are 80% food businesses: restaurants, wine merchants and independents like florists, barbers… It gives a touch to their craftsmanship.” For three years, Louis made his mark. His fame makes him work for luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Place Vendôme.
Eight painted shops in Orléans
He does not forget his hometown where he returns regularly, to see his parents in Saint-Pryvé and to honor contracts. To his credit, no less than eight boutiques: the two salons of the hairdresser Lucas Pichard, the barbers St-Louis and Koçali Barber, the florists Le Beau Temps and Maison Côté jardin, the bookstore Jaune Citron and the decoration boutique Anne K. Maison .
All his clients are driven by the desire to stand out and ready to pay the price, “quickly paying off”, assures Louis. “There’s an old school, warmer side. It’s more eco-friendly too, because it’s just paint, rags, a little paper. And it lasts. The gold leaf doesn’t rust not, do not tarnish.” Like the good old days.
A worthwhile investment,
according to the boss
Patrick Desbois was looking for a “more authentic” communication brand for his brasserie Le Châtelet: “We come from Paris and we wanted to get closer to the atmosphere of Parisian cafes”. He was inspired by his neighbors across the street: the three called on Louis Lepais (the hairdresser, the florist and the decoration store). “It will complete the street!”
For the choice of letters and colors, “we did that together. We decided what we were going to write on the windows, the stone walls. He advised me and I trusted him completely.” A choice that has a cost: “It’s ten times more expensive than if I had stuck a banner, but it’s not comparable. There are three days of work, two of us. It’s worth the investment. J ‘believe it!’
By the numbers
100 : There are only around a hundred of them in France practicing this profession of letter painter. Including around twenty in Paris alone. And a majority of women, according to Louis, including “lots of retraining”.
400 : In 3 years, his company has created nearly 400 signs throughout France, including 150 last year.