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Recycled feet full

Valerie Simard
The Press

The brand, which was then not yet a brand, began with a few pairs of shoes produced by Étienne Pré for him and a few friends. Today, R3 Concept offers four models of non-gendered sports shoes that tend as much as possible towards eco-responsibility.

“It was something I was looking for and couldn’t find on the market, recycled shoes that are affordable,” says Étienne Pré, founder of R3 Concept. So I decided to create some to wear. That’s why R3 Concept started with shoes. He had around a hundred pairs produced which he sold and gave to members of his entourage.

After two years of running in, in 2021, R3 Concept was officially launched with the mission of “making sustainable footwear in a way that harms people and the planet as little as possible”. R3 for “reduce, reuse and recycle”. A few months after the launch, its products were featured in the magazine Forbes in a selection of “sustainable shoe brands that will change the way you wear luxury sneakers”.

The brand’s philosophy is reflected in the design of a shoe that is intended to be durable, in its manufacture and in its minimalist style. This also involves extensive use, depending on the model, of recycled materials. The most recent model, dubbed Ultra Zero Waste, is made of imitation leather made from recycled plastic bottles. His laces too. Its removable insole is a sugar cane foam. A portion of recycled rubber (23%) and textile waste (12%) are used in the composition of the outsole. Even blockers (stoppers) used on the laces were saved in extremis garbage at the factory, located in Spain. “They produced bags for a brand and it no longer wanted to stop them,” says Étienne Pré. So instead of throwing them away, I used them on shoes. »

The brand also uses scraps of lyocell fabric, a fiber produced from wood pulp, and “waste” from apples and corn to manufacture its products. The shoes are produced in limited quantities, but Étienne Pré promises that the shop will be restocked shortly.

Originally from Togo, he founded his company after studying law and social communication. But, from a young age, fashion was never far away. “I have always been passionate about fashion and greatly influenced by my mother who was a seamstress. From a very young age, I wanted to be like her. »

OPENING

A Shwap Club for the little ones

A clothing exchange club established in Montreal four years ago, the Shwap Club has set up shop for the first time with the opening of a thrift store for children on the “Well”, in the borough of Verdun. With its hybrid formula, the boutique allows members to exchange 0-5 year old clothing at a reduced price and non-members to shop for items at the single price of $8. There are also items with slight imperfections for $4 and basics for $2. To the clothes brought by the members will be added second-hand items found by the team.

Mother of a 6-month-old baby girl, the founder of the Shwap Club, Annette Nguyen, recently took full measure of the environmental impact of having a child. In order to reduce her consumption of children’s clothing and that of other families, she opened this thrift store. “I made the decision that Marine Justice was not going to have a wardrobe at home, that she was only going to have a few pieces and that we were going to trade things as she grew up to at least reduce the possessions associated with it. The new space is also intended to be a place for the community where a lounge area for chatting and having a coffee will be set up, in particular in such a way as to break the isolation that maternity can sometimes create.

The shop is open from Saturday to Tuesday. It is also possible to shop online and opt for delivery or pick-up at the premises of the Shwap Club (Mile-Ex or Saint-Henri).

Valerie Simard, The Press

New collections for Véro

Véronique Cloutier launches her fall collections, under the sign of comfort, for the various brands of the Marie Claire Group, namely the San Francisco, Grenier, Marie Claire and Claire France boutiques. There are lovely cozy knits, chic cardigans, colorful sweaters, overshirts, baggy pastel colored shirts, faux leather, jeans, skirts and dresses that go everywhere. In this cool season, there are also quilted coats in a sport-chic style, which will keep us warm. The Véro collections are offered at the 300 addresses of the group’s various brands, as well as online.

Olivia Levy, The Press

From the bedroom to the street

What we love about the latest collection of loungewear created by Le Germain Hotels in collaboration with Maison Simons is the ability of several pieces to go from the (hotel!) room to the street. We know that the silk nightie is popular for outings, whether casual or chic. This year, it is offered in “twilight” blue. Sweatshirts and joggers, very nice loose-cut leisure t-shirts, to wear with or without their matching shorts, are among the favorite pieces of this new tribute to cocooning. Clothes can be purchased from the Simons website or in store.

Eve Dumas, The Press