Stylish and solidarity auctions. On December 11, an auction of fashion pieces will be organized at the Vestiaire, in Roubaix. The proceeds from this event, organized by Thomas Vasseur, a northern designer, will be entirely donated to a charity working with coastal migrants. The goal is to buy a thousand tents so that the exiles can take shelter this winter.
It has not been so long since Thomas Vasseur has been interested in the fate of the hundreds of refugees present on the coast of Nord-Pas-de-Calais to cross to Great Britain. This young fashion designer, graduate of Esmod Roubaix and moved to Christian Lacroix, had the click during the first confinement. “I returned to the Opal Coast on this occasion, with the desire to know who were these ‘migrants’ we are talking about,” he recalls. This confinement measure sent him back a reality in the face: “Worse than being confined at home, there are people who are locked outside. “
A hundred lots
On the spot, he got in touch with L’Auberge des migrants, an association that helps exiles on the coast. The volunteers made him discover the backdrop, heartbreaking. Thomas Vasseur could not stay without getting more involved. To his own clothing brand, Voir (e), he added a line that he called Welcom (e). “These are pieces like sweatshirts and beanies, the design of which is inspired by the merchandising of touring bands,” he explains. Except that, instead of concert dates, it is exiles’ journeys that he inscribes on the back of his clothes. The profits from sales of this line, which comes out this week, will be entirely donated to the Auberge des migrants.
And he didn’t stop there. Thomas Vasseur will therefore organize, on December 11, an auction in order to buy 1,000 tents for the refugees. His entry into the world of Parisian fashion allowed him to train with him some big names, like Christian Lacroix or Justine Clenquet. “They were sensitive to the project and gave me pieces to sell,” says the designer. Besides the stars, he was also able to count on local designers and Esmod students. In all, more than a hundred lots will be auctioned.
“If they seize the tents, we will buy more”
To achieve his goal and buy the 1,000 tents, Thomas needs to make 20,000 euros in profit. “As I do not yet know how much the prizes are estimated, I launched an online jackpot next, he admits. If more than enough is collected, the rest will be used to buy blankets. “
Not sure that his initiative is to the liking of the authorities, who are fighting, with a great deal of dismantling of camps, against the “fixing points” on the coast. “If they seize the tents, we will buy others, because it is a human drama that is playing out there,” he said indignantly. These shelters are the bare minimum that can be given to these people. “