More green on the red carpets. With his “Tribute to the Invisibles” collection, the fashion designer Mossi Traore intends to shed light on the cleaning agents of the City of Paris. During the last Fashion Week, at the beginning of October, the models dressed by the designer wore bright green clothes, or adorned with reflective strips. All were inspired by the work clothes of garbage collectors. “My father, like the fathers of quite a few friends, was a garbage collector,” he explains. Our parents broke their backs cleaning the streets of Paris. This collection is an opportunity to pay tribute to them. »
Created in partnership with the City of Paris, the collection is part of the brand’s desire to demonstrate ethics and inclusion. The pieces will be marketed, from March 2023, for a price range ranging from 135 to 700 euros. A brand pop-up store will open at Printemps Haussmann for the occasion.
“Recognition” for garbage collectors
” Why does he do that ? It’s recycling, it’s cheaper, right? Rayan, who saw the outfits on his Instagram feed, is skeptical. Understanding that this is a tribute, he concedes, with a smile on his face, that “it’s great. We do not have enough recognition in this profession. His colleague, Mickael, has never heard of the collection. “It’s similar,” he comments, looking at the photos. Not bad. Interested in a blue jacket decorated with reflective stripes, he says he can wear the outfit every day. Even if, for him, it’s a bit like staying in uniform. “Finally, if I had the means to buy it myself,” he nuances.
“Mine stays warm in its cover,” replies his colleague Ludovic. I’ve never had clothes so expensive so I’m very careful. The TikTok star garbage man is hard at work, his litter picking tool in one hand and a trash can in the other. As usual, he took the opportunity to do a live show and show his daily life to his Internet users. But, seeing the photos of the outfits, he immediately looks up. “Ah, but it’s Mossi!” he exclaims, without a shadow of a doubt. I know him well, he kind of made me his muse. The designer notably designed a top for her to promote the collection.
Reconnecting with “the inspirational ones”
Because “Fashion Week shouldn’t just be a meeting place for people”, Mossi aims to reconnect with “the inspiring”. After contacting Ludovic on his social networks, he offered to become his muse. “He is one of those men and women who inspire on a daily basis,” he says. The designer met different garbage collectors, spent hours dissecting their outfits and analyzing the materials. “Then, we took elements of the uniforms to incorporate them into our own outfits, he explains. It was a real creative challenge. »
A collaboration “which went very well”, welcomes Colombe Brossel, deputy to the City of Paris in charge of the cleanliness of the public space. She highlights the very positive feedback from the agents. ” And if [le] next challenge was to redesign the uniforms?, challenges the City of Paris on its website. Some wouldn’t say no. The creator does indeed mention “long-term perspectives” in his collaboration, without wanting to reveal more “as long as there is nothing concrete”.