Catastroff: Clémentine Troff's textile workshop

Clementine et Marie Troff Foliove

Clémentine Troff, seamstress in Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines

My name is Clémentine Troff, and I am a seamstress in the Pyrénées-Orientales. I work in the same studio as my mother, Marie, in Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines, twenty minutes south of Perpignan. She draws on her graphic tablet on the ground floor of the family home, and I sew on my industrial machine on the first floor.

I have two distinct activities, in the same workshop, with the same pair of hands:

  • I sew Foliove illustrated textiles, based on my mother's drawings
  • I create and sew my own brand, Catastroff, with my personal designs

Two universes, two aesthetics, but one way of working: artisanal, in small batches, with respect for materials and finishes.

Catastroff x Foliove

What I sew for Foliove

Illustrated textiles based on Marie's drawings

For Foliove, I make tote bags, fabric pouches, shoulder bags and XXL tote bags that feature my mother's original illustrations. Marie designs a poster, I select the models that lend themselves to textile variation, and I sew a small series.

The aesthetic is Foliove's: hand-drawn places (Collioure, Menton, the Arcachon Basin, Paris, Marrakech...), applied to Oeko-Tex certified organic cotton. You can purchase these items directly on Foliove.com, in the Textiles section.

Catastroff couture

What I sew for Catastroff

My personal textile leather goods brand

Alongside my work for Foliove, I created my own brand: Catastroff. A brand where I am independent in terms of design, where I work with my own patterns and formats. An additional role as a designer on top of my role as a craftswoman.

At Catastroff, I design and sew:

  • Backpacks in cotton and vegan faux leather
  • Toiletry bags, lined, zippered, travel size
  • Travel pouches, organizers, accessories
  • Custom-made pieces upon request for personalized orders

The Catastroff aesthetic is different from Foliove's: no location illustrations, but rather assemblages of plain fabrics, color contrasts, vegan faux leather and Portuguese cork as inserts. A minimalist, functional textile leather goods line, manufactured individually.

Note: Catastroff creations are available on my own shop and at the craft markets I participate in in Occitanie.

Methodes de travail

How I work: the same method for both

Small batches, never more than ten pieces at a time

Whether for Foliove or Catastroff, I sew in small batches of about ten pieces, never more. No mass production, no dormant stock, no outsourcing. When one series is sold out, I start the next one.

Professional workshop equipment

My equipment has been chosen to last:

  • Brother and Janome domestic sewing machines: my favorites
  • Rascol scissors: precise cutting of thick fabrics and leathers
  • Bruneel thread: French thread, maximum resistance to repeated washing

I cut, I sew, I check, I iron, I fold. All steps go through my hands. No automatic machine, no delegated production chain.

materiaux de couture de Catastroff

The materials I select

100% Oeko-Tex certified cotton fabrics

I work only with 100% cotton fabrics, selected for their durability, drape, and resistance to repeated washing. All my fabrics are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified: no harmful substances for the skin, no dubious dyes, no endocrine disruptors.

My suppliers are based in France and Germany. I select them fabric by fabric, meter by meter. No cotton from Asia, no hidden synthetic blend in the composition. Organic cotton is gradually being integrated into new series (Oeko Tex label for certain Foliove tote bags).

Vegan faux leather and natural cork (Catastroff collection)

For Catastroff pieces that require rigid inserts (bag bottoms, straps, patch pockets), I use high-quality vegan faux leather and natural Portuguese cork. Two ethical materials, without animal leather, with a touch and resistance equivalent to conventional materials.

Doublures interieures coton oeko tex de Catastroff

The inner lining, my signature

For all my pieces, whether Foliove or Catastroff, I choose the inner lining according to the exterior.

For Foliove textiles, I draw inspiration from the illustration:

  • A seaside view? A petrol blue or sand ecru lining.
  • A Provençal market scene? An ochre or striped lining.
  • A mountain landscape? A slate gray lining.
  • An autumn orchard? A terracotta lining.

For Catastroff, I play on contrasts: a sober bag on the outside, an explosion of color on the inside.

It's a detail that no one sees in the store, but that you discover when you open the bag for the first time. A small surprise that extends the piece, on the inside.

Catastroff en chiffres

The workshop in numbers

  • About a hundred textile pieces sewn each month (Foliove + Catastroff combined)
  • 2 distinct brands, 1 workshop, 1 pair of hands
  • Small batches of 10 pieces maximum per reference
  • Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified fabrics, suppliers from France and Germany
  • Zero outsourcing, zero delegated production, zero dormant stock
  • Location: Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines (66740), Pyrénées-Orientales


To go further

Clémentine