Two men in red coveralls pick up plastic bottles on a beach. These informal collectors do not know that they will soon be transformed into a denim dress from the Outa collection, the first “eco-responsible” brand in Tunisia.
They are about fifteen “barbéchas” – informal collectors – to participate in the “Kerkennah Plastic Free” program, supported by the European Union, for the recovery of the 7,000 tons of plastic waste that come to litter the Kerkennah islands each year (south -East).
On the archipelago, “we have an exciting environment in terms of nature and calm, ideal for green tourism, with a passage of migratory birds, Posidonia seagrass”, described to AFP Jean-Paul Pélissier, from the CIHEAM agronomic institute of Montpellier (France), coordinator of the project.
But “there is an element that you never see in the photos, it’s plastic”, he underlines, deploring a “deficit in garbage collection” and sea currents that carry European plastic towards the Tunisian coasts.
The “barbéchas”, better-equipped thanks to the “Kerkennah Plastic Free” project, bring their daily harvest to a sorter which passes it on to a collection company and then to a shredder.
A partnership has been established with Seaqual, an international consortium of companies and NGOs, which buys this marine plastic “at a remunerative and stable price all year round”, explains Mr. Pélissier.
“Made in Tunisia”
Working for Seaqual is a new opportunity for Omar Kcharem, boss of Kerkennah Plast (compactor and plastic crusher), because marine plastic “does not have much value and does not bring in money”.
The pellets resulting from the grinding are transformed into nylon fiber by Seaqual in Portugal, in one of the only four factories in the world equipped with this technology.
“It’s an innovation. Four or five years ago, we couldn’t recycle marine plastic, which stays in salt water and is exposed to the sun”, notes Mr. Pélissier, pointing out that Seaqual uses 10% plastic. sailor in the composition of its polyester yarn, with the aim of greatly increasing this proportion.
Apart from the fiber made abroad, the whole process is “Made in Tunisia”.
In an infernal noise, a huge machine weaves denim from Seaqual yarn in the ultra-modern Sitex establishment, in Ksar Hellal (center-east).
Anis Montacer, the founder of the fabric and fashion brand Outa, has entered into a partnership with Sitex, a Tunisian denim specialist and supplier to Hugo Boss, Zara, and Diesel.
He chose it “for its sensitivity to the environment because in 2022, 70% of their manufacturing was based on recycled fibers”.
“We worked together to determine the proper yarn strength and the proper indigo dye,” he says. A collaboration that will continue to expand the chromatic range of Outa to natural dyes.
“High added value”
Mr. Montacer is keen on Outa’s Tunisian identity: “The whole process takes place 99% in Tunisia, with the denim transformed into warp and weft in Ksar Hellal up to the Tunisian seamstresses for the final tailoring”.
The founder of the brand called on the renowned French designer Maud Beneteau, formerly of Hedi Slimane, to design a first Haute Couture collection.
He says he “opted for a collection with high added value” because the production cost is 20% higher than denim without marine litter.
But the initiator of Outa thinks he can “bring together other entrepreneurs and inspire designers to produce eco-responsible collections”.
Outa made her debut in June at Tunis Fashion Week.
Maud Beneteau saw “a challenge and a human dimension in this beautiful project, in accordance with the idea of preserving the planet”.
She admits having had difficulty working “a stretch fabric, a little thick and stiff, originally intended for ready-to-wear and sportswear, to make haute couture dresses”.
This stylish, who is used to “magnificent materials such as silk, cotton or linen”, initially hesitated to use a polyester fiber.
But in the end, this material has acquired in his eyes its letters of nobility, “when you think that it is recycled, ecological, that there are jobs created, people who collect plastic, a whole chain very interesting”.
