In previous posts we often looked at installations, projects and products focused on recycling physical (but also digital) waste. But there are visionary ventures, like FabBRICK led by Clarisse Merlet, that are pushing this conversation to new heights, patenting groundbreaking systems that enable the creation of intriguing pieces by recycling textile waste.
As a third-year architecture student, Merlet, realized that the construction industry was highly polluting and energy-intensive and set onto finding an alternative way of building, using waste materials.
During her investigations, Merlet discovered that, despite the beneficial properties of materials used in the textile industry, such as cotton's excellent insulation capabilities, the industry itself had a notably low recycling rate. So, for her architecture degree project, Merlet started developing an innovative material made by repurposing discarded clothing.
By leveraging the characteristics of reclaimed textiles, Merlet developed an ecological and design-oriented construction material that offered both thermal and acoustic insulation.
In 2017 Merlet presented her first prototype and, in 2019, after further studies on textile waste recycling, she patented the technology that can now be adapted to all types of textiles.
Located in 19th arrondissement of Paris, her studio now works at different levels, producing bricks made with textile waste in different sizes and creating with them a variety of objects – including lamps, mirrors, pieces of furniture such as bookshelves and decorative panels – available from FabBrick's e-shop.
FabBRICK also collaborates with a variety of clients that bring to the studio their own textile waste. In these cases the team first analyses the amount and quality of materials the clients want to recycle and then suggests solutions for the clients' shops, showrooms and offices. So far, FabBrick has worked with different brands and companies, including Levi's and Galeries Lafayette.
FabBRICK transformed for French ready-to-wear brand Aigle more than 350kg of their production scraps, prototypes and defective clothing, turning them into elements for the brand's store; the studio also recycled for French sports brand Decathlon more than 200kg of their production scraps, creating with them mobile acoustic partitions for their workspace in Lille.
At times, the reused materials take on a metaphorical meaning: FabBRICK made furniture for the office of Vinci with 150kg of dismissed work uniforms. In this way the construction company paid homage to its employees, reminding them that they are the backbone of the company.
The best pieces produced by FabBRICK are panels and decorative interior design elements made with bricks that come in different colours and textures due to the nature of the material used.
Objects are affordable, with mirrors starting at €65, lamps at €185 and modular bookshelves as €510 (all of them are made from recycled textiles in the studio's Parisian workshop - pieces are made to order). But you can also buy single bricks and use them as you wish (bear in mind that this material has a strong sound absorption power, so the bricks can be used to improve the acoustic comfort of a space).
Is it possible to repurpose this material for other uses and applications, including jewelry? It's intriguing to imagine the potential for necklaces, bangles, rings and earrings incorporating sections of recycled bricks. Who knows, maybe it will happen in future.
But, for the time being, you can bet that, at some point, we will see FabBRICK's panels or stools as decorative set elements or as seats at a runway show, maybe made with the textile scraps of the fashion house showcasing its collection.
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