The AXA Foundation for Human Progress Supports the Future of French Decorative Crafts and Design
At the AXA Foundation for Human Progress, we believe that safeguarding cultural heritage and fostering creative industries are vital drivers of resilience. They strengthen social cohesion, preserve rare skills, and generate new economic opportunities rooted in local communities. This is why we have become the Lead Partner of the Manufactures nationales – Sèvres & Mobilier national. This unprecedented five-year commitment (2025–2029) aims to preserve, transmit, and promote the excellence of French decorative arts and design, in France and internationally.
© Lorenz Cugini At the heart of this partnership lies a shared ambition: promoting French savoir-faire by protecting endangered craftsmanship and championing contemporary creation. The partnership is structured around two complementary pillars to achieve this: preserving and transmitting rare skills, and celebrating contemporary creation in France and beyond.
© Mobilier national, Camille Gasser Preserving and Transmitting Exceptional Savoir-Faire
The first pillar of this partnership is the creation of an Apprenticeship Training Center (CFA) dedicated to “orphaned” craft trades.
Currently, 281 craft trades are listed in France, with more than a third being considered “orphaned” due to the absence of dedicated training pathways. Without formal diploma programs, some of these crafts risk disappearing, despite being essential to creation, restoration, and heritage conservation. Therefore, supporting these sectors has become a strategic priority to safeguard jobs, sustain local economic ecosystems, and protect unique skills.
The objective of creating this CFA is to rebuild high-quality, diploma-granting training programs tailored to the needs of craft businesses, raise awareness among younger generations about these passion-driven careers, and offer genuine, long-term professional opportunities in rare but promising fields.
Of the 50,000 savoir-faire businesses in France, over 80% are single-person entities spread across 80% of the country. Therefore, the AXA Foundation for Human Progress’s commitment directly supports local economic vitality and the intergenerational transmission of skills.
© Mobilier national, Camille Gasser Celebrating Creation and Amplifying International Reach
The second pillar of the partnership highlights contemporary creation and increases the global visibility of French decorative arts and the innovators shaping its future. The AXA Foundation for Human Progress supports the Salon des Nouveaux Ensembliers, an annual event dedicated to French artisans and designers.
As an international traveling exhibition, this initiative will spotlight the 53 craft trades represented within the Manufactures nationales, while contributing to an ambitious program furnishing French embassies worldwide. The Salon des Nouveaux Ensembliers brings together heritage and innovation, highlighting exceptional artisans and their ability to project centuries-old savoir-faire into a resolutely contemporary vision.
By becoming Lead Partner of the Manufactures nationales – Sèvres & Mobilier national, we reaffirm our mission to act for common good of current and future generations, by placing the preservation and transmission of craftsmanship at the heart of our support for local communities and French culture.
The partnership was inaugurated on January 13, 2026, in the presence of Thomas Buberl, AXA Group CEO, and President of the AXA Foundation for Human Progress, and Hervé Lemoine, President of the Manufactures nationales - Sèvres & Mobilier national.