Silk, canuts and merchants

he Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region is proud of its textile past, especially silk but also proud of the way it has adapted to the modern world of innovative fabrics, techniques and ways of working. Jean Étèvenaux showcases this wealth and shows the particularities of each part of the region : Auvergne, Bugey, Dauphiné, Loire and Savoy. He explains who the famous canuts were and what they did. This technical and artistic heritage can be seen close up thanks to the many places that work to preserve both the memory and the actual machines used in the textile industry. There is a guide at the end of the book detailling all of the workshops, boutiques, manufacturers and museums, both profesionnal and voluntary, that are dotted around the region. In addition to the Textile and Decorative Art museum in Lyon, which captivates visitors from all around the world with its large collection, we can also learn from such areas as the Ardèche, Matin and Pilat mountains, as well as the Ain and Dombes plains.