If the Arts Reserve did not recover these materials, they would undoubtedly end up in the trash, yet they were only used “two weeks, i.e. 15 to 16 minutes of parade“, according Charlène Dronne, Associate Director of the Arts Reserve. On nearly 25 shows of the four Fashion Weeks per year, which alone represent half of their annual collection, the association recovers the scenography to upgrade it in its workshops and give new life to these materials. “We recut, remove staples, glue, screws, we secure the material to be sure that the artist who is going to acquire it can recover it and reuse it in the best possible way. It can be wood, metal, haberdashery, textiles, furniture of all kinds, up to an envelope or a sheet of paper”. says Charlène Dronne.
“It’s a bit of a haunt”
Once the materials have been upgraded, the members of the association, many of whom are students, come to the Reserve to find materials at bargain prices and sometimes not found elsewhere. In 2022, the association was able to recover 722 tons of materials, with a recovery rate of more than 80%. “This means that 80% of the materials we recover will have a second life. We base ourselves on a rule of 3 to 10 times cheaper than the price of new”, says Charlène Dronne. A design school student testified to this initiative: “It’s a bit of a den to find lots of stuff. These are materials that are either expensive or not always available, so it allows you to have access to a whole lot of things in a privileged way.”.
But today, the Reserve faces a challenge, finding a “place of withdrawal and relocation of its activity”with their workshop lease term ending June 30, 2023. “We have not yet found a place to relocate and this is our biggest challenge, since without land, without warehouse, the activity cannot continue to live, and therefore could stop.”, confides Charlène Dronne.
