Two Kedgers launch a line of recyclable sports clothing that is made from recycled fibres!

"Sports have always had an important place in our lives. Because we’re concerned about current ecological issues, we looked for clothes that met our requirements for performance, design, and respect for the environment. We didn't find any! So we set a challenge for ourselves: create a brand of technical sportswear in a circular economy. We want to protect our playgrounds so that everyone can run around town, swim in the ocean, or practice yoga on the beach. For always." - https://www.circlesportswear.com/

INTERVIEW 💬

1️⃣ To begin, tell us about your educational background. What did you study, both before and at KEDGE?

I became interested in purchasing after having had my first experience in luxury and fashion at Saint-Laurent. I wanted to perfect my skills, which is why I did KEDGE’s MAI programme. It allowed me to develop skills in purchasing management, and start my career in the sector.

MAI -KEDGE BUSINESS SCHOOL

2️⃣ Tell us what you did after your studies were finished. What positions have you held? What did you learn in those positions?

After I graduated from the MAI programme in 2010, I started working as a Purchasing Manager at L'Oréal. There, I developed strategies for global large-scale integration projects and develop my entrepreneurial skills. L'Oréal is a group of entrepreneurs where it's easy to conceive innovations and implement them! After four years, I was able to incubate my first start-up at L'Oréal: YOSS - a marketplace that brings together freelancers and major companies. I developed it in France and the United States and we made several million dollars in sales. After that, I wanted to develop a project with more meaning, especially for the planet and the environment. I’ve always been a very athletic and while I was travelling and learning to surf, I saw a massive amount of pollution on the beaches of Bali, Morocco, making me realise the negative impact our lifestyles are having on the whole world. So I decided to take on a new challenge: create a sports brand in a circular economy, 100% made from recycled materials. That’s where my new adventure began: Circle Sportswear.

CIRCLE SPORTSWEAR

3️⃣ What are you doing/what is your situation today? What gave you the idea and desire to do what are you doing today?

Alex Auroux, another KEDGE alumnus, and I created Circle Sportswear in September 2019. We had the ambitious goal of creating the first 100% recycled, recyclable, and locally produced sportswear brand. We started by building a team of experts and looking for the best partners to develop recycled fibres and make the best sports performance clothing. Then we came up with our first sports clothing collection in line with our values and a community of 500 sportsmen and women. Six months later our first collection is here, tested, and approved by experts in sports! To accelerate our growth we have a Ulule campaign starting on March 2nd!

CAMPAGNE ULULE

4️⃣ What are your development goals for the future?

Our goal now is to make our product launch campaign on Ulule a success. We're counting on all Kedgers to help us and share our launch as widely as possible! Contributing to our Ulule campaign means making a commitment to an alternative to responsible sports fashion and being a player in this new movement.

5️⃣ How did your education at KEDGE Business School help you become who you are today, and what was it about its teachings helped you develop your project?

KEDGE has given me a global business-oriented vision and taught me to understand the issues and innovations that surround us. It’s essential for me to be able to anticipate, undertake, and take risks in order to change the status quo and carry out projects that make sense and that we’re enthusiastic about. It’s our passion coupled with business expertise that will let us achieve our wildest challenges!

6️⃣If you had to give advice to any other KEDGE graduate who would like to do something similar, what would it be?

Be curious about everything, never stop learning, undertake, take risks, all while mastering the eco-system in which you are evolving!

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