Lily is proud. She can breathe easy after her first fashion show. The original Clermontoise has always had a taste for fashion. But after studying costume design, she dropped out. “I realized that it was too academic and that I needed to develop my creativity and my world,” she confides. After leaving school for a while, at the age of 21, she ended up joining Casa93Mirail. A free, eco-friendly and inclusive fashion school, brand new in Toulouse. Like her, thirteen other enthusiasts, highly motivated, joined the adventure. Profiles as different as they are unique, coming from Mirail directly or elsewhere. What they have in common is that they cannot afford to pay 8,000 to 13,000 euros for a fashion school.
These little hands imagined, drew, then made upcycled models thanks to donations of clothing and raw materials from local businesses. Then they put on an entire parade in just one year. Starting from nothing, their first collection was presented on September 1 and 14, at the Château de la Reynerie then at the foot of Galeries Lafayette.
In front of more than 300 people, the students were able to express their world. This collection was named Mycelium to “symbolize the regeneration of nature, as well as the rebirth of their future”. “It’s a real team effort where everyone finds their place. For example, I invested more in graphics and images while others focused on design,” explains Marie, 21, who came straight from the Basque Country to start her studies from scratch.
“We are considered real professionals, we are trusted”
None of them have a diploma, sometimes not even the baccalaureate. What they have in common: the desire to succeed and work in the world of fashion and image. “It’s not a fashion school strictly speaking. We are here to allow young people between 18 and 25 years old, in difficulty, to reintegrate and find their place in society,” explains Nadine Gonzalez, the founder of Casa93. “We are not taken for babies but for real professionals, we are trusted. After a first cycle of basic training, we were completely free to create, to find each other and to found our collection,” enthuses Marie.
Throughout the year, students were able to benefit from around ten collaborations to discover all aspects of the profession and respond to numerous challenges: sorting at Emmaüs, next “capsule” collection [éphémère] with Stade Toulouse or even with Mugler. “We want to put them in real conditions so that after this year, they know what they want for the future: create their own business, do internships, continue their studies. It’s a springboard for the future. We give them the keys, they do what they want with it,” continues Anne Péchoux, general coordinator of Casa93Mirail.
A human experience above all
For Lily, it will certainly be the cinema. “I loved working on the scenography of the parade, the video and the image and I would like to deepen all of that through internships.” Marie will follow somewhat the same path. “I would like to join the National School of Visual Arts in La Cambre in Belgium and start my studies again.” These young people, “a little lost” at the start, now have a new ace up their sleeve.
“In one year, we see them completely transform… There was a young girl, very shy, incapable of asserting herself. Gradually, thanks to group dynamics and teamwork, she found her place and flourished,” rejoices the founder of the school. “Here, we have the right to do what we want and to find our world without being stifled by fashion codes. It’s an incredible human experience, we really come away from it,” confirms Lily.
At the start of the new school year in October, Casa93Mirail will once again be able to count on Marithé and François Girbaud, the sponsors, but also on the Toulouse brand Stella et Suzie to support the 14 new recruits.