WHO ARE YOU?
Hello, my name is Valentine and I am the founder of Waste Paris. A stylist for over 12 years in the women's ready-to-wear industry, I launched Waste Paris about 6 or 7 months ago, in October 2023.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA TO START WASTE PARIS?
Being a stylist for 12 years in the fashion industry, I realized there was a real problem. I had an awakening after a while: it was no longer possible to continue like this. People outside the industry don't see what's happening, but stylists, artistic directors, and other professionals generate an enormous amount of waste. They order a lot of fabrics they don't use and develop many prototypes that are never actually produced. There is significant internal waste.
One day, I was in a room full of abandoned and unused rolls of fabric, and I thought that something had to be done with all this material. It was ridiculous to leave it like that. That's when the name Waste became obvious.
I decided to launch Waste Paris because I wanted to create my own brand, a brand that truly tries to do better, to offer something genuinely responsible. Being inside the industry, I know that despite brands' beautiful speeches, the reality is often less glamorous. I want to do better.
WHO/WHAT INSPIRES YOU TODAY?
Many things inspire me. Honestly, I draw inspiration from everything. I consume a lot of images and what I see on the street.
My primary source of inspiration is simply women. I observe them a lot, how they dress, what they wear, their attitude, their style. Some women have incredible looks, and that inspires me enormously.
Then there are the images I collect everywhere. I spend my life taking screenshots on Instagram and Pinterest. I have countless Pinterest boards. I also spend a lot of time flipping through art books.
Sometimes inspiration comes from simple things, like a torn sign on the street with interesting colors. I take a photo and keep it for future use, or not at all. Inspirations truly come from everywhere.
For Waste Paris, our wardrobe is quite androgynous. I've always liked playing with masculine-feminine ambiguity. Our cuts are often oversized, and we draw a lot of inspiration from men's fashion, especially workwear, with elements like cargo pockets. Mixing these two worlds is a real source of inspiration for me.
HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED ANY OBSTACLES IN CREATING WASTE PARIS?
Yes! Creating a brand is not simple at all. It's really complicated, even if I had a bit of luck on my side by already being in the industry and therefore not starting from scratch.
But creating a brand is not just about design and style; far from it, that's barely 5% of the work. The rest of the time is about managing a business, overseeing production, and handling many other tasks. You have to be versatile.
Especially at the beginning, when you're alone, without a team behind you to take care of all aspects. The difficulties really lie there. Then there are the challenges related to our desire to do better with Waste Paris: how to reduce pollution, limit returns with DHL, find alternatives to plastic polybags.
It's about solving many small problems daily, and sometimes you face obstacles. For example, when you're a small brand, and this is a real problem, factories demand large quantities. We produce small series, which forces us to pay surcharges. In fact, when you start, everything is multiplied by two or three in terms of price; everything is complicated. It's not simple at all!
ANY ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?
You have to be aware that there's a lot to manage, and it's not just about creating beautiful clothes and beautiful photos. Unfortunately, there are many other aspects to consider. You have to be prepared for that, but also not get discouraged. You have to go for it without fear. That's the only advice I can give everyone: you have to try; that's how you truly know.
HOW DO YOU BUILD A NEW COLLECTION?
Usually, when you're a stylist, you start with a mood board of inspirations, then you source fabrics, etc.
Here, it's a bit different because we only work with deadstock fabrics. So I start with the fabric. It's what will create the mood of the collection.
Then, I have desires. For example, this summer, I wanted new dresses, new shapes, so I knew more or less what I wanted. But then, it's a bit of a hit or miss with what we find in terms of fabric.
AND TOMORROW?
Well, we have many projects for Waste Paris. In any case, we have a lot of ambitions. Now, we know that things take time. When you're a young brand, you have to be patient to get known, etc.
But for our 2025 horizon, it would be a small fundraising round to simply continue Waste Paris, with regular new drops. We also hope for 2025 to open a showroom. This will allow us to welcome customers who can come and try on our pieces, and whom we can also meet. And for our 2027 horizon, the opening of a boutique in Paris!
Find the Waste Paris brand on their e-shop https://waste.paris/