School of Art

Born in Geneva in the mid-sixties. After compulsory schooling, he entered the Geneva School of Art. Attracted by drawing and painting, he took classes in graphic design and illustration. Classes were given by renowned professionals such as Claude Sauthier, Charles Affolther, Guy Meyrat, Yan Forrer and Danièle Vuarambon. After graduating in 1986, he set up his offices in Confignon. His main activity is the creation of corporate visuals and advertising illustrations. Watercolor commissions are also a regular feature. In 1993, the financial crisis hit, customers became scarce and a change of profession was symposed.

Motorcycle Mechanics

Contacted by Us-Shop in Nidau, a suburb of Berne, he and Tom Von-Escher set up Us-Shop Geneva, a store and garage specializing in the maintenance, modification and restoration of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The store opened in March 1993. The location is atypical, in a former fireworks factory dating from the 1800s, at a place called . "La Fontenette" in Carouge. During these five years, he also validated his skills by obtaining a federal certificate and diploma in Motorcycle Mechanics. At the same time, he and two friends, Fabien and Patrick Vidonne, created the "Us-Shop Racing Team". From 1993 to 2003, they defended the store's colors by racing one of only three Harleys in the French Protwin Championship, the equal of the Battle of the Twins in the USA. In 1998, his customer and friend Benjamin De Rothschild asked him to create a motorcycle collection. For five years, he maintained, purchased and restored a series of magnificent machines. He also did various artistic and graphic works for the de Rothschild family. After failing to meet his contractual obligations, he packed his bags and left the mechanical engineering business.

Tattoo

After a short period of reflection, he decided to revive an old rebel passion: The Tattoo.
He contacted a long-standing friend, Franck Tattoo, based in Lyon, France. He started at the end of 2002 and received training in the purest tradition. When Franck passed away in March of the following year, on the advice of Filip LEU, he contacted Ethno Tattoo Lausanne. On January 13, 2003, Sailor Bit handed him the keys to the premises, after some ten months of presence and odd jobs in the shop.
The next seventeen years would be an exceptionally rich human adventure.
In 2020, Sailor Bit left the ship to join Filip and become a member of "The Leu Family's Family Iron". The tattoo shop changed, and without Sailor Bit, the magic disappeared. Now back in Geneva, Laurent Berthet welcomes you to his private studio in a hushed, colorful and resolutely psychedelic atmosphere in Confignon, south of Geneva.

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