They are leather manufacturers, designers of clothing and shoes, heads of repair shops, and even watchmakers. What do they have in common? Enthusiastic creativity combined with a strong sense of responsibility, as evidenced by innovative approaches that place recycling or eco-responsibility at the heart of their production. As a result, their companies, which represent a wide range of the fashion industry, have been 2022 winners of the call for fashion projects and crafts of fashion designed by the Ministry of Culture to support the development of digital and ethical projects in this sector. Overview of six of them.
Phi 1.618, a brand of high-leather goods under the sign of the Golden Number
« The golden number is the basis of all my creations », says Juliette Angeletti, founder of the Fine leather goods house Phi 1.618, the other name of the Golden Number, installed in Paris. « It symbolizes the perfect proportion, it is present everywhere in nature, our eye is accustomed to this harmony », continues the one that creates models that bet on longevity and timelessness. Longevity and timelessness in form – you only have to see the nautical shell-shaped bag or the iconic belt of the house that is tied like the letter “phi” in Greek – as much as in materials or production. This is part of a resolutely eco-responsible approach: I source leather from dormant stocks, in other words stocks that have not been used by houses that have contracts with tannerssays Juliette Angeletti, jThen everything is sent to production in two workshops, respectively in the regions of Cholet and Tours. Finally, the articles are 100% made in France ».
The challenge assigned to the grant received under the mode call for projects is to spread our French know-how through digital tools and optimize customer relations Juliette Angeletti aims to continue to “ film the artisans in their workshops and show their techniques As for the second aspect, the creator of Phi 1.618 wishes to address each client of “ more personally » through targeted mailings.
Auffret Paris, the passion for high-end watches
« We are a young and small business », says Théo Auffret, creator and president of Auffret Paris SAS, manufacturer of high-end watches. Small and young - it has three employees and is entering its third year of operation - but the figures speak for themselves: the company has already benefited from more than thirty press articles in the most prestigious watch magazines and manufactured nearly 10,000 pieces, including 3,000 by hand.
A record in tune with the passion of its young creator who, thanks to the grant from the call for projects, has just bought an old machine. La modern watch is made in the same way as a hundred years ago, nothing has changed, he explains, working with old objects is not a question of philosophical choices, we simply adapt to the process, it’s always the same gestures, if the tools are beautiful, the gestures are also, the machine manufacturers are as applied as the watch manufacturers What about this new machine? “ It is a precision drill, a kind of pointer between the compass and the drill, a robust and solid cast iron machine that is 1.5 m high and intended in priority for the manufacture of parts of 3cm length. Drilling allows to know the distance to the micron. Before joining the workshop, it will be restored and augmented with digital rules that will make it a hybrid object ».
Eugène Riconneaus, a shoe line entirely made from recycled material
« From the outside, one might think that this is a turning point, but in reality, it is the natural continuation of history ", assures Eugene Riconneaus, shoe designer and sneakers to its name, which is preparing to launch a line of shoes from a material exclusively composed of marine litter: oysters, fishing nets and seaweed. « I started by fixing skate shoes, my adventure in the shoe started from there, then I created my first collection from the leather scraps of big houses, explains the creator. Since I returned to the seaside in Charente-Maritime where I grew up, I have gradually included marine litter, both plastic and organic, in my collections ».
An approach that finds its result today with the imminent launch of this new line signed ER. JI created my own material ", rejoices the one who is firmly committed to the environmental cause and challenges himself for the rest of the world to be too serious. " I don’t want to talk about this material as if it were going to change the world. I resolutely approached it through art, as a work, a ready-made. The first creations, from sneakers will be presented in 2023 in Paris, during the next Fashion Week, and pre-orders delivered by the end of February. As for the woman’s shoe that should be made mid-year, Eugene Riconneaus still jealously keeps the secret!
Les Réparables, a workshop that puts its know-how at the service of textile repair
The objectives behind the creation of the Repairable, textile repair shop installed in Vendée, are ' numerous "The first is to participate in a new way of consuming, "The first is to subservient to disposable and cheap fashion Putting reparation at the heart of the issues is a second objective: the garment is synonymous with the look you want to give yourself, repair it, it’s like a second skin. The message we want to convey is that it is perhaps more interesting to buy a quality garment, certainly more expensive to start with, and then to maintain it » The third is of a political nature, the company wants to play its full part in promoting environmental and societal issues, as evidenced by its adherence to the 1% collective for the planet. The last is to to bring this profession and its know-how to the fore ».
For all customers, ' individuals, companies, or brands », the same modus operandi : the digital platform. ' Digital has become an important part of the tool. Our online calculator estimates the cost of repair. The person immediately has an answer and remains free to do what they want ». Participation in fairs, the enrichment of the site’s content, and the publication of advertorials have already allowed the company to become better known. The challenge today is to go even further, a goal to which the department’s grant will contribute. “ With this help, we will put online technical data for people who would like to have more detailed information, we also plan to do a campaign with certain media ” concludes Blandine Barré.
Hopaal, a pioneer brand committed to ethical fashion
Launched in 2017, based in Biarritz, Hopaal is a pioneer in ethical fashion in France, which specializes in locally manufactured recycled clothing for men and women. In 2019, she developed recycled buttons from fishing nets, and in 2020, she launched DemocraTee, the first T-shirt recycled and made in France sold locally. Since 2022, the brand wants to give its message a broader echo. “ 2022 was an intense year for Hopaalrecognizes Clément Maulavé, its president, we have indeed started a brand repositioning, more focused and more committed, that will be effective in 2023, we are already looking forward. We also changed offices: we remain in Biarritz but are now located a few meters from the Basque Coast ».
A repositioning of which the Atlas jacket – waterproof, 100% recycled, functional and made with a zero waste patronage – currently under study, to which the support of the Ministry of Culture provides its support, should be emblematic. « Work on the Atlas jacket is progressing well, rejoices Clement Maulavé, in particular with regard to materials and style. We would like to make it a reality by the summer and commercialize it by the end of 2023 ».
Manufacture of Clisson, the revival of a family business
« With the Clisson Factory that Manon Cornué runs, we are typically in the case of a family business taken over by the young generation », observes Aude Vuillier, in charge of design and fashion at the Ministry of Culture, about this garment workshop in the Loire-Atlantique region specialized in soft materials, chiffon, tulle, silk satin.
It was in Saint-Nazaire that the Lethu institutions, then specialized in orthopaedics, were first founded in 1928. After moving to Clisson in 1941, they added corsetry to their profession in 1954, specialized in night lingerie under the Régence brand in 1965, and continued to expand the range of products manufactured. A proven know-how in which only a full recognition According to Aude Vuillier, this is what the Ministry of Culture is trying to achieve through a grant that will help business development », notably by the purchase of the Vetigraph machine.
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