La Caserne: A Parisian Sustainable Fashion Incubator
After two years of work, a former fire station in Paris’ 10th Arrondissement has reopened as a sustainable fashion accelerator and community space La Caserne.
For the next three years, 40 ready-to-wear and accessory brands will be in residence, including Benjamin Benmoyal, who has developed a weaving technique to make his own fabrics using recycled audio and video cassette tapes; Meryl Flambert, founder of Bleu Chose, which uses only GOTS-certified or deadstock materials; Lillian Thibault, whose brand Awake creates watches from recycled materials; and Ronja Nielsen, founder of Bags Affair, which provides vegan business bags for women that are made from cork. The designers will have access to weekly master classes on the impact of the use of raw materials, traceability, and production volume. La Caserne also provides the designers with a raw materials showroom, a photo studio, a 24/7 shared workshop, and a concept store called L’Exception, and also connects resident designers with other fashion professionals.
In addition to offering an environment for designers to learn the ropes of sustainability, La Caserne is also open to the public, providing a vegetarian café, performance venue, rooftop bar, ballroom, and exhibition space. “Learn, share, advocate, include, collaborate, innovate, act. Because the future is not a place where we go, but a place that we create,” explains La Caserne Managing Director Maeva Bessis. L’OFFICIEL speaks with Bessis on the incubator’s origins, creators, and goals.
L’O: What are your goals with La Caserne?
MB: In the short term, to solidify my team and make sure everyone is aligned with their role. In the medium term, to prove that an impact project can also be profitable. And in the long term, to open other La Casernes in France or abroad.
L’O: How did you select your 40 residents?
MB: The selection process was done in three phases. First, a call for applications to be submitted to our website, open to all designers looking to create from Paris. Then, a selection of half of the brands by a selection committee. Lastly, citizens vote on Instagram, allowing the general public to select the brands they wish to support.
L’O: How are these creators similar and different?
MB: The profiles are very different; we have brands with very different sizes and positioning. We have brands that present their collections during fashion week, and others that are more ready-to-wear-oriented. Their common point is their desire to be part of this new generation wanting to produce responsibly, choose materials from dormant stocks, measure their impact, and ensure traceability throughout the production chain.
