Without the pandemic, the Balmanaise Teresa de Marcillac would never have written her book “The forgotten ones in the closet, Upcyclez, transformz, sublimez” (ed. La Plage). This bubbly, 21-year-old management student took advantage of the covid break to tidy up the cupboards in the family home. And at the same time give a hell of a boost to his wardrobe. “I started with my mother’s cupboards. Seeing some things, it hurt my heart to throw them away, ”says Teresa. She especially falls on a bra, which she decides to remove the foam to keep only the lace and give it a more current side. The result is conclusive. “That’s how I started,” Teresa continues.
After her mother’s wardrobe, Teresa goes through her own wardrobes and then those of her siblings, “as we are a large family, there were tons of clothes, some of which were 15 years old, when I thought that we were not the ones who consume the most, ”slips the student. With this unexpected textile booty, Teresa decides to “do something new with old.” In other words, to bring up to date those clothes left in the back of our closets. “. To do this, she transforms a soccer jersey into sports shorts; a dress that is too small in a wrap skirt, a man’s t-shirt with a low-cut top, a pillowcase in a butterfly-sleeved t-shirt, a sleeping bag in a down jacket… It’s bluffing.
At first, Teresa published her transformations on Instagram (@lesoubliesduplacard) and produced video tutorials until the editions “La Page” spotted her and offered her to produce this book.
In fact, do these small transformations intended to give a second life to his clothes involve some notions of sewing? “We are more into DIY than sewing, especially with the step by step that I offer in my book,” notes Teresa. Born into a large family – “three sisters, one brother” – the youngest of the siblings has always been able to count on the support of her family. “My sisters and my mother helped me find the title of my book during video brainstorming”
By focusing on upcycling, Teresa wants to defend responsible fashion. “When I see the amount of clothes I own, I wonder how I can still want to buy new parts. I started from this constant. “However, she does not call herself an activist,” I just act at my level “
Today, Terasa is in the process of creating her upcycling box, which will be incubated in her school in Grenoble and “make underpants from second-hand shirts. The name of his brand? “Posterior”.