Going against the grain of a textile industry dominated by fast fashion and overproduction, Another Fashion Is Possible (UAMEP) offers a new model, sustainable, creative and unifying. Founded in 2017 by Arielle Lévy to embody an alternative vision, this collective acts at the crossroads of art, social commitment and ecology.
« Young creators must come together, pool their tools, practices, networks and expertise, in order to be able to make their voice heard and limit intermediaries.we can read in an article written by Arielle Lévy in 2018. It must go beyond the purely textile sphere to work transversally by connecting to other sectors, for example the agricultural sector. »
Accompanied by her dog Frimousse, Arielle Lévy arranged to meet us in a Parisian café. Stylist and entrepreneur, she co-founded the collective Another mode is possible (UAMEP) in 2017. Through the construction of this engaged and active network of reflection, she returns to her fight for a different fashion, focused on art, reuse and the link with nature.
A pioneering vision of fashion
Arielle Lévy is not her first project. In 2008, she founded the eco-responsible ready-to-wear brand red grassa sort of prefiguration of what will be the substance of his collective: acting differently, from creation to sale. “ The first idea was to bring together pioneers on the subject and to promote French natural and cultural heritage, presents the co-founder. While exploring new uses. Like a publishing label. Like a laboratory of social and artistic experimentation! »
The collective brings together designers, artisans, artists and engaged citizens. Who no longer want a fashion disconnected from social and environmental issues. We can no longer separate consciousness of life and creative practices. Everything is linked and alternative fashion is really possible », insists Arielle Lévy, with twenty-five years of work in the industry.
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Circular and inclusive governance
One of the principles of UAMEP lies in its transversal governance. The hundred or so active members jointly manage the collective’s decisions. “ We have circular governanceinsists the co-founder. Access is simple, with an annual fee of 20 euros. But what matters above all is the desire to actively participate. And to believe it. This promotes diversity of profiles and ideas. » And to be able to take concrete action, this openness extends to partnerships around awareness, with resource centers and integration workshops (like that of the Salvation Army). But also associative actors such as Fashion Revolution or Fashion Green Hub.
It is also thanks to them that Katia discovered UAMEP. Present with its Katia Cameleon brand in the store No Mad (rue de Turenne in Paris) run by the creators of the collective, the creator of multi-use clothing “ I think it matches well with [ses] values. We distribute the sales days between the thirty artists, we share the land. We create while having visibility. And we pull ourselves up! To be honest, it was okay in terms of variety, whether it was styles… or prices. »
In the shared store, watches, earrings, skirts and sweaters of all kinds rub shoulders. “ We have fun with the materials. Fashion can be transformed into a world of new possibilities », positive Katia.
-« We must transmit a sensitivity to responsible fashion »
UAMEP’s partnerships also extend to technical high schools and fashion schools. Because the education aspect is important. “ We must transmit a sensitivity to responsible fashion. It is a long-term but necessary job, which should begin in early childhood. », Supports the co-founder.
The collective wishes to raise awareness and show, through its numerous creations, that its vision of the social and solidarity economy of fashion is not utopian. “ Between young designers and experienced creators, between amateurs and experienced, we work to improve everyone’s performance, in the right way and using natural and local materials. We learn from each other, and this energy saves us today », summarizes Arielle Lévy.
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Other Fashions Week and Reparations Festival
Important meeting thought up by UAMEP, the Other fashions week Since 2021, it has been proposing to celebrate committed fashion. On the sidelines of October Fashion Week and during European Sustainable Development Weekit is the way to promote living heritage by showcasing artisanal know-how. It is also an opportunity to create connections and raise awareness among the general public of good practices, such as clothing repair.
Thanks to this action and its repair center, the collective was present last October at theClimate Academy as part of the Festival of Repairs. Described as “ the event provides examples, valued techniques and solutions that inspire and make you want to extend the life of clothes », it shows how to act on how to repair. “ Because this can also be done through poetic and artistic protocols. And this is what we wear in the collective, in our House of Other Modes », argues the co-founder, giving the example of upcycled denim patches and the recycling of inner tubes.
In 2022, still as part of Other Fashions Week, nearly 10,000 people visited around forty Parisian locations (third places, fashion schools, cultural establishments, resource centers). There, they reflected on the five great pillars of Manifesto of other modes : transparency, respect for the planet, inclusion, the cultural dimension and responsible consumption.
« Uproot old paradigms to think differently »
Inspired by the Hummingbird movement co-founded by Pierre Rabhi and the Bauhaus “ to build a new world to which is added a social vocation of equality », Arielle Lévy defends reasoned degrowth. But not to the detriment of value creation. “ We produce intangible and social value “, she explains. This philosophy translates into collaborations between the responsible brand Cécance and the artist Maud Louvrier Clerc, for example. Together and through artistic creation, they expressed their commitment to protecting the oceans through clothing.
As an invitation to slow down and rethink our relationship with fashion, the collective wishes “ uproot old paradigms to think differently”. « Let us move towards a different creation of value: social connection, art, meaninginvites Arielle Lévy. This is the key to a sustainable future. » ♦
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