They wondered how they could “go further”. Work in their own way to preserve the already severely tested planet. Roxane Sutet and Amélie Rivoire, who founded in 2017 the Lyon brand of women’s sportswear
Les Poulettes Fitness , have just launched a new collection. A range of 4,000 pieces entirely made from waste collected from the oceans. “Fishing nets,” says Roxane Sutet with a smile.
“We have always wanted to offer eco-responsible clothing, but until now, we had never been able to complete the process,” she continues. With each of our attempts, we lost the “second skin” side of the clothes. The two Lyonnaises have long sought “the dream fabric” that could allow their items to be both “technical” and “comfortable”. “We really wanted to preserve this ‘second skin’ aspect while having a breathable, compressive material that dries quickly,” insists Roxane. No small task, in short.
86 tonnes of waste recycled in this way
By dint of prospecting, the two young women end up discovering econyl, a nylon fiber made from different marine debris: plastic bottles or abandoned fishing nets. “They are crushed and then melted to be transformed into nylon fiber,” explains Roxane. This appealed to us because this process favors recycling over waste incineration. Above all, it helps to preserve marine animals and their natural habitats. “
Behind the 4,000 tank tops, leggings or brassieres stamped Poulettes Fitness, “86 tons of recycled waste”, welcomes the co-founder of the brand, specifying that the making of the pieces takes place in France, in factories in Cholet. The increase in the cost of manufacture has “no impact on selling prices,” she said, adding that in January, the clothes will be offered on the shelves of Galeries Lafayette. Good visibility.
Clients as ambassadors
From the start, Les Poulettes Fitness has chosen not to use professional models to promote its clothes. Each year, it launches a competition with its customers so that they become, for a year, or more, the ambassadors of the brand. “They are still the ones who best convey our values”, emphasizes Roxane Sutet.