Nicolas Arrouy joined Bodin-Joyeux as a temp for six months before signing his contract in 2000, at the age of 20. His BEP/CAP in agricultural mecanics had not meant for him to follow that path, but the idea of walking in the footsteps of several family members seduced him.

In the region, tanning is a tradition and you don’t need any particular qualification to learn the trade.

Nicolas started working in a 2/8 shift on different machines and also learned how to classify hides according to their defects.

In 2004, he was offered to join the Research and Developemnt department at Bodin-Joyeux, just created by Frédéric Bodin. He received in-house training as well as other training courses in cooperation with chemicals suppliers, and gained further knowledge in the wet field, as well as dyeing and finishing by following a CTC/ITECH class recognized by the Federation Française de la Tannerie-Megisserie (French national association).

Nicolas now takes part in the realisation of articles for the customers’ new collections, a critical step before they place their orders. He keeps regular contact with a designer for the creation of new products presented during trade shows in France or abroad. Those tasks are always different and require a degree of autonomy. Nicolas’s vision on the finishing possibilities offered by leather has greatly widened.

Nicolas particularly likes to be in touch with all the company workshops so as to obtain the best possible result. Knowing that those leather pieces will end as bags, clothes or shoes in the windows of the most luxuous shops around the world fills him with intense satisfaction.

Tanning is a trade that requires vigilance and care, and learning is continous.