Humanity as a whole faced with a common problem: getting out of the throwaway economy. To switch to a sustainable model without wasting resources or producing waste, we need to change the way we produce and consume. A single track: the circular economy, with second hand and upcycling as a pillar. And it starts now.
At GIGI PARIS we are in good shape, and you?
THE PROBLEM, SIMPLY
We wake up, our economic models are often based on stupid, even scandalous principles.
- We produce without being certain that a demand exists, then we destroy new products “Unsold” because storing them is expensive (pollution during production, pollution during destruction, zero use), ABSURD
- We allow ourselves to use materials whose end of life we do not know how to manage, then to send our waste to other countries which are transformed into open-air bins, SCANDALOUS
- We produce with poor quality materials (in countries where labor is paid a pittance and/or works in inhuman conditions) products that we will have to buy back because they are (obviously) not at the level, ABERRANT
- We reproduce objects that already exist instead of sharing them (resale or shared use) to follow the frantic pace of fashions and collections or satisfy a need for possession and representation largely has been, ANTI-REASON
- One buys products that are not used : 1/3 of the food produced is thrown away and 2/3 of the pieces of European wardrobes are never worn, STUPID
At GIGI we know that fast fashion has not spared the bijou, which we produce and throw away en masse.
So we said to ourselves:
Why produce new parts while damaging our beautiful planet a little more, by taking the risk of making a worker work in indecent conditions on the other side of the world?
Why destroy pieces that you will want again tomorrow since fashion is an eternal restart?
Why not use the existing jewelry stock, which largely covers our wildest desires by opening our jewelry boxes to each other?
I have a problem with throwing it away.
I notice that we often think that to throw away means to make disappear. It's no longer with me, so it no longer exists. But where is it then? And where is your home? Your apartment ? Paris ? France ? The world ? What you throw away has just been taken a little further on the planet so that you no longer see it, no longer feel it, and this pleasant feeling of having created a vacuum, created space, is very deceptive. It is not because you no longer see what you have "thrown" that it no longer exists.
So so that we do not all end up in a large trash can, we must act now ♻️ fight against the throwaway economy and der Kreislaufwirtschaft ♻️
GO FROM LINEAR TO CIRCULAR
Our Linear Economy reaches a double limit
Our current economy is based on a so-called "linear" model which follows the following three stages: produce, consume, throw away. We extract resources from nature, we transform them into consumer goods, which once consumed become waste. Yes very well madam, we knew it.
Except that if we think a little further, we quickly come across a double limit : natural resources are exhaustible, the space dedicated to waste also. Oops. I will summarize for those who do not follow, our children will be confronted with the following difficult dilemma: to live in a desert or in a landfill.
If we don't want to come to this, we must "circularize"our economy (yes yes it is ours, and no need to blame the politician, everyone is playing their part). Circularizing the economy means making the linear model evolve towards a model in which we exploit less (more ?) new resource and where we treat waste (to make new resources!) So we close the loop.
How to switch to Circular?
The transition to the circular economy is based on 3 pillars:
- Reduce inputs
If it were me, we would simply ban the extraction of new raw materials. But since there must be plenty of good reasons to make exceptions to my rule, go for a reduction. But then the reduction is drastic! Let's prioritize recycled materials, design with a minimum of material, limit packaging, etc.
- Reuse what already exists, i.e. finished products, but also reusable materials
The lifespan of each product must be extended to the MAXIMUM. Single use, whether plastic or not, is obviously an aberration. It is also necessary to maximize the use by product. For that we will think collectively: we will first mutualise. When a product can be used by several instead of one, it must be done. Those who buy a car in built-up areas for no good reason, I see you. "If so sometimes I go skiing". RENT friends. Then we go share ! The product that belonged to you yesterday may belong to me tomorrow. The second hand is the cornerstone of the Circular Economy.
- To recycle which can no longer be used
For this, we need technologies and collection systems to the point, of course, but also that everyone make an effort: the professionals for design recyclable products, individuals for sort ! There is still a little work to do but I see a lot of people getting started, I feel you!
GOOD AND AT GIGI HOW DO WE MOVE OUR (pretty) BUTTONS?
An ecofriendly brand: democratizing the second hand
Fashion is an eternal renewal. Why produce again what already exists? At GIGI we find the most beautiful vintage jewelry, exceptional pieces signed or not, treasures of the past or timeless must-haves.
We create capsule collections with an assertive style. So we reuse instead of reproducing!
We will find for you the pieces that you will want to wear tomorrow, and find for you those pieces that you liked so much yesterday. We'll help you share all of this with the girlfriends. We go take back the pieces that you find old-fashioned to make jewelry #ARCHICOOL.
A pioneering brand: inventing upcycling
Upcycling means recovering a product that is no longer used to transform it into a product of higher quality or utility. It’s a top-down recycling.
By reusing what already exists, upcycling has a very positive effect on the environment because it saves the energy and raw materials needed to create the new product and destroy the old one.
At GIGI PARIS, we practice upcycling a lot, and we do it in a meticulous and applied manner. No big machine, no mass production. All is handmade, quietly, for a minimum energy consumption.
A socially committed brand :
Our team
We are a team of girls. Women empowerment maximum: we work in non-mixed. Here it is girls who run the business, girls who create the products, girls who hunt rain or shine, girls who define the budgets, who invent the campaigns, who carry the parcels.
We work here. Everything is imagined here, everything is found here, everything is transformed here, at Paris, by our team of magicians.
Our partners
On the one hand, we collaborate with small french antique dealers as cute as grumpy and not with gray, mustachioed factory owners.
On the other side we are resold by small independent concept stores who carefully select the brands they distribute.
Solidarity
We regularly collaborate with other ethical brands. We only collaborate with ethical brands.
We regularly donate part of our profits to charities.
Let's go to the end of things
We pay attention to our impact in as many aspects as possible:
- We use a minimum of packaging, and we select eco-friendly materials such as kraft, which we choose untreated, a naturally robust and biodegradable material.
- All our shipments are decarbonized. We ensure the complete carbon neutrality of our shipments.
- The cleaning products we use for vintage are that are safe and do not harm the planet.
