Paris, capital of fashion, Antananarivo, capital of know-how and creativity.
The crossed passion of two teams.
Seconde Main was born from the desire to make high-end fashion more playful and sweet. Coming from the fashion community in Paris, we decided to settle in Antananarivo to work hand in hand with the craftsmen. Convinced that excellence and beauty come from team working, we put each one’s talent at the service of positive synergy transmitted through our clothes. Each one of our unique piece requires a special caring and time to reveal their character and singularity.
In Madagascar, there is a real institution of worn clothing. Since the 1990’s, when the first batches from Europe were sent to the country, to be sorted and resold on the local market.
These forgotten pieces, often depreciated for a few imperfections, are however composed of quality materials we can’t expect from the 80 billion clothes produced each year by the fast fashion industry. Beyond extracting the raw material, these second-hand pieces inspire us because they have their own story to tell, around a finish, a tag, or a message left in a pocket.
Even though the second-hand clothing market is well established in Madagascar, these bales are sent in too large quantities by northern countries thinking they have found the ideal solution for storing their textile waste. The Big Island receives far more clothing than its population needs and can afford. We wish to create a virtuous circle that generates employment and value while supporting local traditional know-how.
Our first summer collection is composed of six models declined in five sizes. Our raw materials are cut from second-hand men’s shirts, with the softest cottons, selected for their natural feel. Assembling these pieces of colors and patterns is for us a game. Each garment is different and only exists in one copy. We exercise quality control at every stage of the manufacturing process, from the washing of raw materials to the final packaging.
Our designs have been thought to be as beautiful inside than outside. Our labels are made from cotton and satin to take care of your skin. Each buttons are removed from the original pieces, sorted, stored and then reused in harmony with the new models. Our patchwork garments are assembled with high quality finishing and our embroidered pieces are sublimated by crochet stitches entirely made by hand.
Behind the label and beyond this meticulous work, there is the ambition of a whole team launched with passion in an innovative project. We hope it to be soon a model to follow. Thanks to the deployed energy from each of us, we are proud to present our first collection today, Soulful Pieces. It’s composed of unique, delicate, neat pieces, with tender and acidulous colors. So that you can be luminous under the sun, and spend a summer unlike any other.
Upcycling literally means recycling from above. In other words, the garment tends to appreciate, as opposed to depreciate, unlike traditional recycling which means destroying a fabric to recreate a new one. We don’t use fabric rolls, we cut our material from forgotten garments giving them a seconde chance.
Respect for craftsmen, which must be a priority for us all, is always pushed to the background in the textile industry. Instead, we make a point of creating an ambitious caring work atmosphere so everyone can live in dignity thanks to their passion by expressing their own ideas.
To make our pieces unique, we spend a lot of time on every step of the creative process. Each model requires a special care and its own reflection. That’s what makes them so precious and allows us to face the disposable fashion.
Our pieces are 100% upcycled in order not to further impact their ecosystem.
Our atelier was entirely designed by local artisans, with natural materials. All our sewing machines are 100% reconditioned and all our accessories come from nearby factories deadstocks or from the local market. To product garments with common sense and sincerity, this is our leitmotiv.
Each one of our pieces is delivered in a soft tissue envelope.
They are made of 100% cotton raw fabric and a unique lining cutting from scraps of our collections. They are all crafted in our atelier in Antananarivo, with the same care we give to the manufacturing of our clothes. They can be diverted from their originally intended use.
Our atelier is based in Antananarivo which is the capital of Madagascar, well-known for its high quality handmade know-how. Our raw materials come from Le Relais de Fianarantsoa, a socio-economical goaling company that creates a lot of jobs in Madagascar for excluded people, notably thanks to the textile sorting.
