Founded in 2020 in Paris, Carbone 14 only uses existing materials to bring them back to life using two methods:

-The reuse of ends of rolls from major fashion houses

-The reuse of luxury vintage clothing.

"Nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything is transformed", Lavoisier's saying takes on its full meaning when we talk about upcycling.

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We select the finest materials such as silk, cotton, linen or wool from local suppliers (Beglarian, Emmaüs or Le Relais). After the development of the models in our studio, the production is entrusted to L'Unique Façon, a Parisian workshop with high-end know-how.

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By producing in small series, we focus on few products to give us every chance to make them well. Each product must be timeless, signed with a unique detail, have impeccable finishes and fall that will stand the test of time. This helps to cushion the impact of making the garment over years.

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Upcycling eliminates the production of new raw materials and significantly reduces the waste to be recycled.

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The upcycling of fabrics makes it possible to restore value to ends of rolls or whole rolls, which have not met the specifications of a brand. When we select them, we make sure that their composition (material) and their weave (weave) are top of the range and resistant to washing. It is possible to mass-produce pieces depending on the quantity of fabric. In this case, the manufacturing process is classic: design of models, pattern making, prototyping, choice of fabrics, gradation, production in small series.

 

The upcycling of defective vintage clothing makes it possible to recover the intact parts of the garment, adapting it once unstitched to the model. This process is longer, therefore more expensive and it is also a guarantee of quality, since if a garment has lived 20 years, it will easily live 20 more. By recovering the intact part of a vintage garment, we limit what will have to be recycled, therefore the waste produced by the textile industry, and a saving on the production of raw materials.

In this case, the manufacturing process is based on the choice of clothes to be upcycled before the design of the models, pattern making, prototyping, gradation, washing clothes, disassembly, piecework.