The first objective of Wastendsea: to raise awareness among young people about cleaning up plastics in the oceans, by proving to them that it is possible to be both eco-responsible and trendy. “Of course, we are aiming for profitability. But we especially want to reach 15-25 year olds, obsessed with fashion. For that, we needed a slightly surfing, trendy, Californian design,” explains Céline Rodriguez, the originator of the brand, with her husband Daniel, designer and textile consultant.
The couple of convinced ecologists and surfing enthusiasts from Saint-Sulpice-La-Pointe, in the Tarn, therefore mobilized their network to manufacture t-shirts and sweatshirts from polyester, from plastic collected in our oceans. . Wastendsea t-shirts are made with 50% recycled polyester fibers, sweatshirts only 25%, to ensure comfort. The complementary material is organic cotton.
A family story
Their supplier is the Spanish company Seaqual Initiative. This transforms the plastic collected at sea by fishermen into sequins, which then become polyester threads. The couple also relied on Daniel's brother's company, based in the Landes, which audits textile companies and checks the traceability of products. And since it's a family story, Daniel and Céline's daughters, Manon and Morine, 14 and 17, actively participated in the project. The youngest inspired, thanks to her drawings, the logo of the brand. For her part, the eldest, who is aiming for a commercial career, helps her parents on social networks and in the choice of collections. Manufacturing takes place in Morocco, screen printing and packaging in Toulouse.
Young people to represent the brand
The first range, which already includes twenty-two unisex models for the autumn-winter collection, will be marketed on the internet in November. “We stay within market prices (from 30 to 80 euros, editor’s note), while offering eco-responsible products. We want to be irreproachable,” emphasizes Céline Rodriguez.
The family is creating a community on social networks , so that young people take ownership of the brand. It plans to regularly offer limited series, to seduce its target. “We chose eight models from among the young people around us to represent the brand. We already have our work, Daniel and I, so our goal is not to do business internationally, but above all to federate. 1% of Wastendsea's turnover will be donated to the Project Rescue Ocean association, which works to protect the oceans.
Armelle Parion
In the first photo: Daniel and Céline Rodriguez founded the Wastendsea brand with their daughters. Credit: Wastendsea.
