With Made in Town, Est Ensemble is developing a programme of networking and collaboration between textile designers, fibre producers, spinners, weavers, finishing companies and creative brands to encourage and support the emergence of an eco-responsible textile industry locally.
The first stage of this programme begins with a call for projects aimed at textile designers wishing to become involved in eco-responsibility projects.
Closing date: midnight 11 December 2022
A programme of collaborations between textile designers and the French textile industry
The textile industry remains one of the most polluting industries today, with its impact on the environment responsible for 17 to 20% of water pollution in the world, and it produces 1.7 billion tonnes of CO2 per year. In the fields of fashion and interior decoration – from the production of the fibre to the marketing of a finished product – the textile chains are articulated through a large number of links. This multiplicity of stages, often carried out in very distant countries, does not always contribute to transparency and the guarantee of social and environmental values.
One of the main challenges for the development of eco-responsibility in the textile sector therefore lies in the possibility of a more direct dialogue between all the stakeholders in a long chain:
– textile fibre producers
– textile manufacturers (weaving, knitting, finishing, etc.)
– textile designers
– brands and distributors
Est Ensemble is an inter-municipality of the Greater Paris metropolis and is located in the Seine-Saint-Denis department in the Île-de-France region.
The territory, which is very committed to environmental and climate issues, has therefore decided to launch a call for participation aimed at designers in the territory and in France, in order to put them in touch with eco-responsible textile companies.
The Est Ensemble territory, due to its political orientations and economic identity, is today identified as a welcoming and qualitative place for the development of quality craft and industrial know-how. In fact, Est Ensemble has always been strongly attached to the creative and productive professions of art crafts.
Est Ensemble wishes to promote an economic development at the service of the social and ecological transition by: investing in the development of the economy with a social and environmental impact; prioritising the sectors of the economy of transition and innovation; protecting and developing the productive activities on the territory and revitalising the local economy. Strong support is given to actions promoting handicraft, short circuit activities, ecological transition and revalorisation activities.
The objectives of the programme
By connecting and generating textile creation projects in partnership between textile designers, fibre producers, textile manufacturers and retail brands, this creation programme proposes to highlight an ecosystem of local actors who are committed to building more creative and socially and environmentally virtuous sectors.
The programme thus proposes to meet the following 4 objectives :
– To act as a catalyst in encouraging the creation of contemporary eco-responsible textiles in the fields of fashion and decoration.
– To enable textile designers to experiment with new techniques and to establish new collaborations with the French textile ecosystem.
– To explore the creation potential of local and eco-responsible French fibres.
– To highlight the know-how and creativity of textile designers and workshops in France and in the Est Ensemble area, as well as the training and transmission of existing know-how in the area.
The phases of the programme
– 11 December 2022 at midnight: deadline for applications
– 21 December 2022: feedback on the selected applications
– 29 May – 5 June 2023: exhibition as part of the Emergences Biennial
How to apply?
A CV presenting his or her background (education, past experience, major exhibitions, etc.).
A portfolio of 20 pages maximum.
A note of intent of a maximum of one A4 page allowing to judge :
The motivation for the application and the interest in eco-design.
-Possible avenues of development: materials, techniques, inspirations, etc.
-A list of possible or desired partners for the project: sourcing, production and distribution.
A video clip presenting the candidate and outlining in a synthetic (max 2 min 30) and personal way his or her working approach and interest in the issue of eco-responsible textiles.
APPLICATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED ONLINE BEFORE MIDNIGHT ON 11 DECEMBER 2022
