Hello everyone , I am Nelly Fontaine, stylist and founder of the Otxangoa brand.
Today, I dedicate a large part of my daily life to imagining the second life of your old clothes, especially jeans!
I owe my eco-responsible commitment to a trigger, an awareness : After more than 20 years in the textile world, I saw this overabundance, and one day, while creating a product, I said to myself, “I can't put it on the market knowing that one day it will find thousands of tonnes of textile waste”, it was from that day that I decided to create clothes by imagining their end of life. life from their design phase. ".
In this sense, I am involved in recycling and collecting clothes to transform them into espadrilles and I support local associations and Emmaus from whom I collect most of the jeans. It is also a way to promote local know-how.
The way I perceive the world around me and the way I interact with others has been strongly influenced by my grandmother, a seamstress who collected every scrap of fabric to make something or transform it, and by my father, a cabinetmaker who also repaired the Antique furniture. My professional experience of 5 years in England where I developed my color sensitivity and the development of textile products has also strongly influenced my work.
Since we're focusing on England, it all started in a second-hand charity shop. I didn't speak a word of English, it was my first job in the country. I learned the basics there: to speak English and to make tea! This store raised funds for a local hospital. One day I came across a pinking chisel made in England in Sheffield and it has been with me everywhere ever since.
I like to think that the desire to support noble causes is contagious. So if I had to give advice to those who have not yet taken the plunge: before making the purchase, go back to basics, common sense, do I really need this product? can I find it second hand? borrow it from a neighbor? Or repair the old one lying in the back of the cupboard?
However, adopting a more ethical and responsible lifestyle is not a linear process; With a fast-paced life as a business owner, I still drive too much but I consume local, seasonal products and to keep up the pace I make coffee in refillable capsules!
Find Otxangoa creations here.
Instagram: @otxangoa