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Collectible, the fair for 21st century design.

© Eline Willaert

COLLECTIBLE In-Depth

Aleor

March 2025

This series, COLLECTIBLE In-Depth, unveils the backstage of contemporary creation. Tackling various topics from personal designer processes to the position of collectible design on the global design market, COLLECTIBLE In-Depth offers different views to suit all tastes. Today we speak with Nathalie Guiot, founder of Aleor.

Back to Editorial

C: How did you get into collectible design? Why did you start your gallery?

 
Nathalie Guiot: It all started with my last exhibition at the Thalie Foundation, titled Regenerative Futures, which brought together around fifty creators at the crossroads of art and design. I wanted to offer an experience, a kind of demonstration on how objects or furniture can be designed in a virtuous way, without depleting natural resources. Materials like algae, mycelium, and insect leather were featured. For this exhibition, we also created an eco-scenography using hemp in collaboration with the Bento collective. The exhibition brought together a community of artists and designers who advocate for regeneration and restoration through their practices and mediums, while questioning possible futures. This gave me the idea that these objects, presented as prototypes, needed to be disseminated in order to evolve into collectible items. This would help transform ways of thinking and usage. This is where the idea of creating ALEOR was born, a company currently supported by my Thalie Foundation but destined to become a commercial enterprise. Why a gallery? To support an innovative project while advocating for the vision of designers and regenerative or recycled materials. An iconic example is the work of Juliette Rougier, who transforms defective reed instruments into marquetry for unique pieces. It's essential that these creators reach their audience, especially in a context of natural resource depletion. What I advocate here is a design of solutions. The idea is to work with a limited number of designers to offer high-end pieces, in limited editions or one-of-a-kind, and target the European market. Aleor stands for: Aware, low tech, ethic, open-minded, raw. I really appreciate the sound of this word; it evokes a utopian vision and a certain musicality. As for me, I come from the world of publishing, journalism, culture, and contemporary art. I have been a curator, editor, gallery owner, author... so I am particularly sensitive to beauty. Of course, it is important to defend processes and supply chains, but in the end, what matters most is creating an object that sparks the desire to incorporate it into one's home.
 
C: How does your approach to contemporary collectible design reflect current cultural or societal trends?
 
NG: We are all looking for virtuous, local solutions that do not rely on petrochemicals, even if these materials are more expensive and require more time for research and development. However, I believe it is crucial to advocate for this type of design—regenerative design, solution-oriented design. Especially since I had the chance to initiate the eco-design chair at the École des Arts Décoratifs, sponsored by DECATHLON. This chair functions as a real laboratory, a space where I discover young talents. The 20-year-old students truly question production: if we produce, we must analyze the life cycles from design to the final object. Personally, I also try to apply these principles in my daily life: I eat responsibly, I am vegetarian, and I turn to second-hand goods. These are both global, societal reflections and individual choices. With ALEOR, I want to combine entrepreneurship, innovation, research, and aesthetics, focusing on bio-based materials. I am also part of the design acquisition committee at the Centre Pompidou, led by curator Marie-Ange Brayer, who has been exploring these topics for years. For example, the work of Marlène Huissoud, with her cabinets made from silk cocoons, is a beautiful illustration of this approach. Alexia Venot, a graduate of ENSAD, a designer specialized in biomaterials with a focus on the supply chain, has joined me on this new adventure.
 
C: How can collectors contribute to the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage through their acquisitions of collectible design pieces?
 
NG: These are personal choices: one can continue to prioritize mass-consumed products or choose to turn to more exclusive pieces. It depends on one's resources, interests, and sensitivities. For me, the collectible remains, above all, a place of discovery—historical, prospective, and experimental—that aligns with the dynamics of contemporary art.
 
C: How do collaborations with artisans or craftspeople influence the final outcome of your collectible design pieces?
 
NG: There needs to be a synergy between artisans and designers; it’s a marriage of thought and craftsmanship. Either partnerships are formed, or the designer already has their own team, or it’s up to us to establish a whole network of artisans to collaborate with. Since, for certain objects, we are working in a series dynamic, we collaborate with artisans we trust, who are aligned with our values and standards.
 
C: Why is it important for designers to exhibit in a gallery rather than in their own studio?
 
NG: To find their audience, spread their collections to a wider public, and initiate new collaborations and projects, it’s also a consultancy role on our part. Dialogue with designers is essential to evolve our offering and refine our vision.
Collectible, the fair for 21st century design.

© Eline Willaert

Collectible, the fair for 21st century design.

©Eline Willaert

Collectible, the fair for 21st century design.

© Eline Willaert

COLLECTIBLE In-Depth

Aleor

March 2025

This series, COLLECTIBLE In-Depth, unveils the backstage of contemporary creation. Tackling various topics from personal designer processes to the position of collectible design on the global design market, COLLECTIBLE In-Depth offers different views to suit all tastes. Today we speak with Nathalie Guiot, founder of Aleor.

Back to Editorial

C: How did you get into collectible design? Why did you start your gallery?

 
Nathalie Guiot: It all started with my last exhibition at the Thalie Foundation, titled Regenerative Futures, which brought together around fifty creators at the crossroads of art and design. I wanted to offer an experience, a kind of demonstration on how objects or furniture can be designed in a virtuous way, without depleting natural resources. Materials like algae, mycelium, and insect leather were featured. For this exhibition, we also created an eco-scenography using hemp in collaboration with the Bento collective. The exhibition brought together a community of artists and designers who advocate for regeneration and restoration through their practices and mediums, while questioning possible futures. This gave me the idea that these objects, presented as prototypes, needed to be disseminated in order to evolve into collectible items. This would help transform ways of thinking and usage. This is where the idea of creating ALEOR was born, a company currently supported by my Thalie Foundation but destined to become a commercial enterprise. Why a gallery? To support an innovative project while advocating for the vision of designers and regenerative or recycled materials. An iconic example is the work of Juliette Rougier, who transforms defective reed instruments into marquetry for unique pieces. It's essential that these creators reach their audience, especially in a context of natural resource depletion. What I advocate here is a design of solutions. The idea is to work with a limited number of designers to offer high-end pieces, in limited editions or one-of-a-kind, and target the European market. Aleor stands for: Aware, low tech, ethic, open-minded, raw. I really appreciate the sound of this word; it evokes a utopian vision and a certain musicality. As for me, I come from the world of publishing, journalism, culture, and contemporary art. I have been a curator, editor, gallery owner, author... so I am particularly sensitive to beauty. Of course, it is important to defend processes and supply chains, but in the end, what matters most is creating an object that sparks the desire to incorporate it into one's home.
 
C: How does your approach to contemporary collectible design reflect current cultural or societal trends?
 
NG: We are all looking for virtuous, local solutions that do not rely on petrochemicals, even if these materials are more expensive and require more time for research and development. However, I believe it is crucial to advocate for this type of design—regenerative design, solution-oriented design. Especially since I had the chance to initiate the eco-design chair at the École des Arts Décoratifs, sponsored by DECATHLON. This chair functions as a real laboratory, a space where I discover young talents. The 20-year-old students truly question production: if we produce, we must analyze the life cycles from design to the final object. Personally, I also try to apply these principles in my daily life: I eat responsibly, I am vegetarian, and I turn to second-hand goods. These are both global, societal reflections and individual choices. With ALEOR, I want to combine entrepreneurship, innovation, research, and aesthetics, focusing on bio-based materials. I am also part of the design acquisition committee at the Centre Pompidou, led by curator Marie-Ange Brayer, who has been exploring these topics for years. For example, the work of Marlène Huissoud, with her cabinets made from silk cocoons, is a beautiful illustration of this approach. Alexia Venot, a graduate of ENSAD, a designer specialized in biomaterials with a focus on the supply chain, has joined me on this new adventure.
 
C: How can collectors contribute to the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage through their acquisitions of collectible design pieces?
 
NG: These are personal choices: one can continue to prioritize mass-consumed products or choose to turn to more exclusive pieces. It depends on one's resources, interests, and sensitivities. For me, the collectible remains, above all, a place of discovery—historical, prospective, and experimental—that aligns with the dynamics of contemporary art.
 
C: How do collaborations with artisans or craftspeople influence the final outcome of your collectible design pieces?
 
NG: There needs to be a synergy between artisans and designers; it’s a marriage of thought and craftsmanship. Either partnerships are formed, or the designer already has their own team, or it’s up to us to establish a whole network of artisans to collaborate with. Since, for certain objects, we are working in a series dynamic, we collaborate with artisans we trust, who are aligned with our values and standards.
 
C: Why is it important for designers to exhibit in a gallery rather than in their own studio?
 
NG: To find their audience, spread their collections to a wider public, and initiate new collaborations and projects, it’s also a consultancy role on our part. Dialogue with designers is essential to evolve our offering and refine our vision.
Collectible, the fair for 21st century design.

© Eline Willaert

Collectible, the fair for 21st century design.

©Eline Willaert