Montpellier: the Peulh Fulani start-up makes its swimsuits from plastic

La fondatrice et ancienne mannequin Awa Sagna dans un maillot de bain signé Peulh Fulani. DR – DR

Fondée par l’ancienne mannequin de haute couture Awa Sagna, la marque montpelliéraine fabrique des maillots de bain inspirés des graphismes africains, tissés dans un fil issu des déchets plastiques.

Summer is around the corner, so it's time to take an interest in the eco-responsible swimwear brand Peulh Fulani. Created in Montpellier in 2019 and marketed in 2022, this start-up founded by former fashion model Awa Sagna markets swimsuits made from plastic thread, since for its founder & quot;the circular economy is crucial for the brand".

The virtual showroom of the Peulh Fulani brand. DR – DR

After having deified and posed for advertisements for the brands Yves Saint-Laurent or Cartier, Awa Sagna, of Senegalese origin, called on an Italian factory to manufacture her company's swimsuits , specialized in the reprocessing of plastic bottles. "This factory collects plastic waste, and crushes it to transform it into flakes, from which the threads are woven. We then obtain a white virgin material, which we therefore call recycled polyester, a material which we will pass through a digital printer. Our designs are then transferred by sublimation to the fabric obtained, to obtain an optimal result."

The fabric obtained is then cut by a factory in Brest, and the jerseys are marketed by the brand on its website, in specialized boutiques or corner-shops temporarily rented or loaned by stores. The graphics of the fabrics, designed by graphic designers, are mainly African-inspired, but ultimately based and designed by graphic designers from all cultures. Each model is sold on average for 200 €.

A circular inspiration even in its economic model

The side of circular reuse being crucial for the brand, it uses an original economic model: "once the customer no longer wants her swimsuit, she returns it to us and we give her a voucher of 100 €, to be used on the next collection". Which halves the average price of jerseys sold! The founder hopes that this circular model will be emulated among major brands, "who must prefer the circularity of the economy to their sole profits, even if I am well aware that it’s easier for a small brand than for a large industrialist."

Nevertheless, Awa emphasizes the interest of this circular economy: "If I sell my customers an ecological product, but then they get rid of it again out of weariness, I feel that I have not does my job. To keep this circular aspect, it is essential to recover the worn material from an old swimsuit, to transform it again."

Recent winner of the French Tech Tremplin, a program for entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and far from entrepreneurship networks, the founder is also a member of the new promotion of the Femmes Entrepreneuses program, created by the Orange brand. Awa Sagna is full of projects for her business. It thus places emphasis on the creation of a unique factory in the Montpellier region, "to relocate production to a single location, shorten journeys, and put the’ rsquo;emphasis on 100% made in France", and the release next year of a new collection for men. "We are thus remaining faithful to our origins in swimwear by launching into men's ready-to-wear. We have already designed around ten models."

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