Yohan Thomas
ENSCI – Les Ateliers, École Boulle
IG @made_lmond
Yohan Thomas trained at École Boulle before continuing his studies at ENSCI–Les Ateliers. His practice operates at the intersection of design, craftsmanship, and constructive research. His work explores small-scale modes of production, self-manufacturing processes, and economies of means.
Through the design of objects, devices, and production tools, he investigates the relationships between form, use, and manufacturing processes. His research focuses in particular on lightweight structures and tension-based systems, which he develops through simple materials and fabrication methods adapted to an artisanal scale.
La fabrique frugale
Yohan Thomas’s work is rooted in an exploration of production methods and the possibilities of autonomous small-scale manufacturing. Fascinated by industrial processes yet working outside their means and infrastructures, he develops a practice situated between industrial logic and artisanal methods. Selfproduction becomes a way of directly engaging with the conditions under which objects are made and consumed.
His research is guided by principles of minimal efficiency, where modest means can generate maximum effect. In this regard, the umbrella serves as a key reference: behind its apparent banality lies a remarkably ingenious structure based on tension rather than mass. Lightweight, foldable, and protective, it embodies an economy of means that informs his approach.
This investigation unfolds through two primary materials: steel rods and nylon fabric. By exploring the structural properties created through tension, Thomas develops a formal vocabulary characterized by lightness, precision, and clarity. Metal and textile elements intertwine to form a single continuous structure.
Extending this pursuit of autonomy, he also designs and fabricates his own production tools. Inspired by industrial equipment, these tools are conceived as objects in their own right, carefully shaped to support specific uses and efficient gestures.
Through a process of standardisation and the plastic manipulation of fabric, this body of work explores how more can be achieved with less. The lamps produced within this micro-manufacturing system are designed to be disassembled and shipped flat in an A3 envelope, reducing storage and distribution costs while extending the broader investigation into economies of means.
