Welcome to The Resilient

This month, Debongout is pushing the doors of Emmaüs Alternative's design and professional integration studio, Les Résilientes . This is where our ' Pet His Mother ' pet collection was created (and the result is just Woof!).
We are going to meet the project manager Eugénie De Larivière (on the right) of the production manager Géraldine Tubéry (on the left) on their land to present their sublime project to us: putting creativity at the service of integration and design at the service of the environment to give people a new chance, a second life for objects and a bright future for the planet ✨

Here, all the products are made from reused materials and objects and manufactured by a cheerful team in transition in the workshop. Are you following us?

Eugenie, how did you come up with the idea of ​​Les Résilientes?

Les Résilientes is the desire to use design as a lever for professional integration. The original idea was to put creativity at the service of integration and design at the service of the environment. Creativity at the service of integration because at Emmaüs Alternatives we are convinced that the creative gesture - the fact of doing something with one's hands - promotes a return to self-esteem (loss of confidence being one of the first obstacles to sustainable employability) and the development of transversal skills, transferable to future professional experiences.

Design at the service of the environment because in our workshops we work according to the principles of upcycling, ie all our creations are made from abandoned products.

Why the name "Les Résilientes"?

We chose the name Les Résilientes because it is a concept found in psychology: it designates an individual's ability to develop despite trauma and difficult life experiences. It is also used in physics to describe the ability of a material to return to its original state following a shock (for example when you hit a metal plate, it bends under the shock and becomes flat again ).
Les Résilientes also echoes our resilient collections. Our workshops are mixed and welcome women and men. It was because this notion could apply to the people we work with and to our materials that it seemed obvious to us.

What role does design play in your projects?

Design plays an important role because it allows us to make new audiences aware of our commitments. Our customers come to buy a product that they find attractive. This allows us to re-explain to them the actions of Emmaus and the importance of consuming differently.

Géraldine, how are the partnerships with companies like Debongout going?

We are approached by brands or other partners, either to work on their offcuts , unsold items or customer returns, or as for Debongout in order to develop a new product from reuse that can be integrated into their collections and their approach.

Then, we define together the brief which includes the needs of the client and our working methods on which we work as a team within the workshop. We make prototypes and from there we develop the products during various meetings, until we arrive at a final proposal, which once validated, goes into production.

How did you work to develop Debongout's Pet sa Mère pet collection?

We started by defining the type of products we wanted to develop, then we selected and exchanged inspirational images and looked for the materials that could best meet the needs of the collection.

Jeans stood out for their sturdiness, durability and because they represent a significant source of donations collected by Emmaüs Alternatives. We played on the diversity of denim tones that we mixed with striped patterns such as men's shirts. Then, adapting to the know-how of our team, we explored different techniques: patchwork, crochet and macrame points to offer a range of 5 products: the cushion , the leash , the collar , the bandana and the toys .

A little anecdote to share with us about this collection?

All products have been tested, abused and approved by Raya Les Résilientes and Booba Debongout, two dwarf dachshunds mascots of our respective teams, for their greatest pleasure 😁

What does good taste mean to you?

Eugenie: I would say that it is a certain authenticity in the manufacture. Something in good taste is something well done, something that respects the material, the know-how and the men and women who produce it.

Géraldine: A certain sense of the harmony of colors and materials, even sometimes daring, which can survive the ages.