L'Atelier des Matières: innovation and circularity for noble materials
Committed to the recycling of unused textiles and leather goods, L'Atelier des Matières strives to meet the ecological challenges faced by luxury and premium brands by helping them to sustainably manage their textile, leather goods and accessories deposits, whether unsold, dead stock or production offcuts, in a circular economy approach.
Created in 2019 on the initiative of Home Chanel - against a backdrop of growing awareness of environmental issues and coherent legislation, such as the AGEC law, L'Atelier des Matières, located in the Oise region of France, works closely with luxury and premium brands to support them in their circular transition.
According to Managing Director Nativité Rodriguez, L'Atelier des Matières is dedicated to reclaiming unused materials and unsold finished products. Thanks to its cutting-edge expertise and collaborative approach, L'Atelier des Matières offers innovative tailor-made solutions adapted to the specific needs of its customers.
Materials reclamation: turning production offcuts and unsold goods into resources
Crédit photos : ©L'Atelier des Matières">At the heart of the company's mission lies the revalorization of materials. The company recovers and processes three types of materials: unsold, dormant and production offcuts, with an emphasis on noble materials such as leather, wool, silk, cotton and cashmere. This diversity of materials engenders"a certain heterogeneity and therefore complexity", explains Nativité Rodriguez.
L'Atelier des Matières stands out for its expertise in disassembling and sorting these materials, enabling what is perceived as waste to be transformed into new resources, then called "deposit" in the company, illustrating the desire to redefine the value of these materials and demonstrate the creative impetus of the activity. Nativité Rodriguez points out that "circularity is the best option for reducing the environmental footprint, preserving biodiversity and being responsible."
This constantly evolving model positions L'Atelier des Matières as a leader in the transformation of unused materials. She adds that the ambition is to "become the benchmark for new recycled raw materials from luxury materials". To achieve this, the company accompanies its customers from "deposit to circular application" and even consults them on eco-design for the sourcing of new materials for their collections, guaranteeing sustainable transformation. Currently, L'Atelier des Matières manages to recycle 80% of materials thanks to a network of industrial partners.
Co-construction, a source of innovation
Crédit photos : ©L'Atelier des Matières">Dialogue with brands is at the heart of Atelier des Matières' innovation strategy. This co-construction process enables us to better understand brands' needs and find appropriate solutions to develop new materials. "We are always in contact with the brands, because we not only consult them but also learn from them, which stimulates the search for solutions", explains Nativité Rodriguez. L'Atelier des Matières relies on its R&D department to seek out the highest rates of recovery. This includes developing tailor-made solutions, such as new materials (Vernatio, a material developed from leather scraps) and finished products made in France (computer covers, envelopes, bags and notebooks).
"To succeed, we have to work in an ecosystem. From the outset of L'Atelier des Matières, there were 3 objectives: to become a benchmark, to obtain the highest possible reuse rate and to be multi-customer", explains the director. The company works hand-in-hand with its customers, its more than 40 industrial partners (leather and textile) and its network of experts (laboratory and technology) to develop tailored, sustainable solutions. As she explains, "we want to be available to the sector, because the deposit of a single brand is not enough to industrialize".
Collaborations are also essential to raise awareness of circularity. One of the most striking examples is the partnership with the Hyères Festival, where the company created the L'Atelier des Matières Prize. Each year, around ten young designers are invited to use the company's recycled materials to design innovative and desirable pieces. Nativité Rodriguez declares: "We'll have won the bet when we continue to make people dream with a finished product made from recycled materials."
Expertise and savoir-faire in reclaiming materials
Photo credit : ©L'Atelier des Matières">L'Atelier des Matières highlights the importance of artisanal savoir-faire and technical expertise to revalue materials. "There is as much complexity and nobility in doing as in undoing, in building as in deconstructing", asserts the director. The valuers, the first link in this chain, play a crucial role in the transformation of materials. Their work is essential, as the entire production chain relies on the quality of their disassembly.
Aurélie Desombre, marketing and communications manager, adds: "Every order, every deposit is different, so they (the employees) don't do repetitive work. What's more, they disassemble knowing that they are working to give these materials a new life". This manual work, combined with cutting-edge textile engineering, enables L'Atelier des Matières to constantly improve its production processes, while finding innovative solutions to meet brands' needs.
To maintain a high level of quality, the company invests in the in-house training of its textile engineers and valuers. "Our textile engineers are trained in-house, we decided to have this savoir-faire in the company, to pass it on and upgrade it as much as possible", explains Nativité Rodriguez. The teams continue to perfect their skills, working closely with spinners, weavers and contract manufacturers to transform recycled materials into new materials and finished products.
L'Atelier des Matières has become a key player in the revalorization of materials in the luxury sector. The company helps brands implement more sustainable practices by offering solutions tailored to their specific needs through concrete, tailor-made solutions. As the director points out, "a single brand might find it difficult to get to grips with the subject, but we offer them a range of solutions. A large volume of waste makes a sustainable solution possible". With a strong commitment from its employees and partners, the company continues to innovate while offering responsible, sustainable alternatives. "It's an economic necessity, a question of common sense", concludes Nativité Rodriguez.
To find out more, discover the L'Atelier des Matières company fact sheet.
