Creating new from old is called “upcycling”. In Nevers in the Nièvre, the brand Jealousy play the smart recycling game best. Here nothing is destroyed, everything is reused to create new clothes. A virtuous circle for the planet.
In the sewing workshop, little hands choose, cut and assemble the fabric to create new pieces. In Losanje, recycling also rhymes with quality. “Be careful of stains, holes, colors”, explains an employee. From bum bags to trousers, winter jackets to backpacks, there’s something for everyone. All the garments, which come directly from the creativity of the designers, are necessarily unique. “I was immediately fascinated by being able to recover as many pieces as possible, create patterns on old things”, explains Tom.
Here nothing is lost, everything is transformed, like these little squares of soft fabric that can be used as glasses wipes. Faced with planned obsolescence, the eco-responsible brand is already enjoying great success and is now aiming for the windows of the great Parisian boulevards. This alternative production model comes at a cost. Still count around 150 euros for a garment from the brand.
From December 2021, Jealousy has already given a second life to more than 18,000 kilos of clothing and fabrics. Once collected from the sorting centers, they are then cut and assembled in Nevers.
By choosing second-hand clothes, the brand intends to respond, in its own way, to the new environmental challenges of textile production. The fashion industry it is the second largest industry pollutant of the world. “We asked ourselves the question of how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the recycling of textile waste: the answer is upcycling”, assures Simon Peyronnaud, co-founder of Losanje.
Unlike recycling, upcycling transforms the material without destroying it. In the workshop virgin raw material is not extracted, large machines are not used for fabric processing.
According to a report (PDF in English) according to McKinsey, fashion emitted the equivalent of 2.1 billion tons of CO2 in 2018, which would represent about 4% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, refer to the United Nations a percentage variable from 2 to 8% global carbon emissions.
