Ethical Fashion Triathlon Celebrates Sustainability at Paris 2024 Olympics, by Lara Serlin
Fashion and sports are colliding in a spectacular, eco-friendly display at the Ethical Fashion Triathlon, created by Universal Love in partnership with ADEME, the French Agency for Ecological Change. This unique event, taking place during the Paris Olympics 2024 blends the dynamic energy of sports with the creative innovation of sustainable fashion, promoting an engaging and impactful message about environmental responsibility.
We are really happy to share an exclusive interview for Tata with Isabelle Quéhé, founder of Universal Love and the Ethical Fashion Triathlon. From her early days as a French model to becoming a prominent advocate for ethical fashion, Isabelle shares her inspiring journey, motivations, and vision for a sustainable fashion future.
DURAND DE MONESTROL, Faustine MAURIERAS
Universal Love: Championing ethical fashion
Universal Love, founded in 1995 by Isabelle Quéhé, has been a pioneer in promoting ethical fashion. The association is committed to best practices in the industry, ensuring respect for people and the environment throughout the manufacturing chain. This much-needed organisation challenges the fashion industry norms that often rely on cheap labour and fast fashion, emphasising the importance of sustainable, handmade clothes that last far longer than a single season. Their initiatives, like the Ethical Fashion Triathlon and Changer la Mode pour le Climat at various COP events, highlight the critical role of sustainable fashion.
The Ethical Fashion Triathlon: Where Fashion Meets Sport
The Ethical Fashion Triathlon is a competition and exhibition that brings together national and international designers to create wearable art from second-life sports materials.
Nearly a thousand students from 6 regions of France took part in the competition, creating 230 pieces using materials (shoes, accessories, fabrics, technical materials, etc.) derived from sporting activities.
Prize winners from each region will be presented at the exhibition. This is part of a pact to defend the importance of learning skills in textiles so that they can be passed on to future generations, hence rejecting fast fashion. This year’s grand finale will be held at the Saint-Ouen ice rink from July 15 to August 15, 2024.
The event, free to the public, will feature 90 unique pieces, including winning entries from regional competitions and international designers who responded to the same challenge.
The exhibition designed by the wonderful Isabelle Quéhé, founder of Universal Love, presents exceptional pieces from designers around the world who combine the development of traditional practices and upcycled materials with the creativity and inventiveness of haute couture.
Expect a lot of colour, materials, and a vibrant and interactive show, with upcycling workshops and a lot of fun! A real must for any budding designer based in Paris or anyone interested in fashion and sustainability.
Tata Christiane: A fusion of punk and eccentricity
Tata Christiane is thrilled and proud to be part of this transformative event. The work, entitled EcoSport Symphony, like other pieces created, is known for its deconstructed couture and playful designs. Julie from Tata has combined elements of 90’s vintage sports brand Lotto with puffer jacket elements and added whimsical frills. She has fully embraced the beauty of imperfection by adding colourful patches at the bottom and embroidery to turn this sports design into a bohemian-inspired dress. She is a true visionary, creative, and experiments with clothing which allows us to take our imagination on a journey.
In this piece created for Universal Love, Fashion Designer, Julie Bourgeois, has used an embroidery machine, creative patchwork, a sewing machine, and crochet. She learned everything through experimentation and is completely self-taught. It is her absolute passion to safeguard work done by hand and revive artisanal textile heritage through upcycled designs, mixing found items and discarded textiles. She is on a mission to deconstruct the idea that second-hand is second-best and pass on her skills to future generations to ensure the art of homemade designs lives on.
« Transforming fashion with sustainability! Check out this #upcycled outfit recipe: 4 leggings + 2 short-sleeved duvet jackets + 1 sport jacket + 3 meters dead stock tulle polyester lining donated by @dasa_hink. Created by @tatachristiane for @triathlondelamodeethique 🌱💚 #sustainablefashion #fashionrevolution #ecofriendly #upcyclingfashion »
A celebration of circular fashion
The Ethical Fashion Triathlon not only highlights creativity and innovation sustainably but also underscores the importance of circular design. Through a collaborative effort with Bigtime Studio and La Réserve des Arts, the event’s scenography is created with a focus on resource efficiency and sustainability.
Universal Love, under the patronage of the Ministry of National Education and Youth and with support from ADEME, the City of Saint-Ouen, Plaine Commune, the City of Paris, Le Défi, and Re-Fashion, invites you to celebrate the culmination of this incredible journey.
The opening event on July 18th will set the stage for a month of inspiring exhibitions, culminating in a final fashion show and medal ceremony on September 19, 2024.
Come witness the transformation of discarded sports materials into breathtaking pieces of art and fashion, and join us in promoting a future where fashion, sports, and sustainability go hand in hand.
Interview and Insights with Isabelle Quéhé
What was your journey from French model to showcasing the talents of ethical fashion designers and labels worldwide? Were you always more interested in the design side from a ethical stance?
Isabelle Quéhé:
The day I realised that behind the production of a garment (I’ve always loved dressing up and finding unique, different pieces) there could be suffering, I wanted to make sure that as many people as possible, the general public, were informed and knew what was under my look.
that as many people as possible, the general public, be informed and learn what is under my look…
I created Ethical Fashion Triathlon with Universal Love, an ethical fashion show to promote
brands that were respectful of human beings throughout the clothing production chain and of the environment (and we know that it’s linked), but also to showcase the textile expertise that is so important for the future.
textile know-how that is important to preserve and pass on to future generations
What inspired you to start Universal Love in 1995, and how has your vision evolved?
Isabelle Quéhé:
Around me, my friends and relations were creating clothes and fashion accessories in small series, but they didn’t have a distribution network, so we first decided to get together, find places and organise festive events to present our creations, exchange with the public and sell our pieces. The Free markets universal love were festive places with concerts, DJs and shows for children.
How did the idea for the Ethical Fashion Triathlon come about, and what do you hope to achieve with this inspiring event?
Isabelle Quéhé:
It was after meeting fashion designers Oumou Sy (Senegal) and Bibi Russel (Bangladesh, Fashion For Development), who had a vision of fashion for local development, made with respect for people and local know-how, that I wanted to highlight designers from all continents who shared this vision of fashion that we call Ethical.
What role does ADEME play in the Ethical Fashion Triathlon, and how has their partnership influenced the event?
Isabelle Quéhé:
Without ADEME, we wouldn’t have been able to set up this 3-year project… It’s the perfect alliance because, like ADEME, we wanted to promote the circular economy in the sportswear sector, which consumes a lot of materials. ADEME also enabled us to find other partners, because it’s a guarantee of ecological rigour and sustainability.
And then the ADEME/Universal love partnership started with the Ethical Fashion Triathlon in 2004 and the exhibition: “Le revers de mon look, quels impacts ont mes vêtements sur l’environnement?” which we designed in 2012 and update regularly with ADEME, the aim of which is to explain to teenagers everything that goes into the manufacturing process of a garment from the raw material to the end of its life. Its impact on the environment and on people
How do you see the relationship between fashion and sport evolving in terms of sustainability and creativity?
Isabelle Quéhé:
More and more athletes are becoming aware of the impact of clothing production on the planet and are ready to make a commitment… It’s true that most of the materials used to make sportswear are synthetic and therefore have a major impact on the environment… and athletes receive a lot of sportswear during the various competitions in which they take part.
Some athletes also took the floor to talk about the problem of forced labour by Uighurs in the production of certain sports clothes and shoes.
The organisation of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was also an opportunity to highlight the importance of ecological impact in the organisation of a major sporting event followed by the whole world.
The Paris 2024 team worked closely with the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) to organise sustainable Olympic Games in Paris 2024:
“Talking about the environment goes hand in hand with sport and health, which is a good way of talking about ecology during an international event.
Ethical Fashion Triathlon, Event details
Join us from July 15 to August 15 at the Saint-Ouen ice rink to experience this extraordinary fusion of fashion and sport. Discover the 8 winning sets from the Pays de la Loire region alongside 80 other national and international creations.
15.07—15.08.2024, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
12:00 p.m.—6:00 p.m.
Free entry
Saint-Ouen skating rink, 4 rue du Dr Bauer
Enjoy upcycling workshops, customise your own roller skating sessions, and more every weekend.
For further information and a detailed schedule of events, visit the website.
