Swiss designer Kevin Germanier demonstrates how to combine haute couture with sustainability. Materials once destined for the dumpster inspire his creations.
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00:00These haute couture creations are one-of-a-kind, the product of hours of work by hand and made of waste materials.
00:07To designer Kevin Germainier, it was a solution, not a problem.
00:12It expresses my values. I couldn't make my haute couture garments any other way.
00:17And how does he do it?
00:19By trying to be innovative, to find solutions.
00:24All the materials in this collection are recycled.
00:28This time, I work with raffia.
00:31Before I create my apparel, I look for the materials.
00:35So I work in the opposite to the usual direction.
00:40I don't buy the materials after I've made my designs.
00:44I look for materials I can recycle, and from what I find, I create a collection.
00:49The Swiss designer got the idea to create his fashion out of scraps and waste material in 1992 after a trip to Hong Kong.
00:59I came of age with Dior's John Galliano and Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci.
01:04Their creations with pearls were the most beautiful things there were.
01:09And when I went to Hong Kong, I saw beads that were regarded as waste, as trash to be thrown away.
01:18And I thought to myself, you can recycle a lot more than just fabrics like linen and old sheets.
01:23You can recycle everything.
01:26Today we live in a society that throws everything away.
01:32But are buyers willing to spend lots of money on haute couture apparel made of recycled materials?
01:38Kevin Germainier is confident they are.
01:42Definitely. I've already got many buyers, and that's also why I'm now officially recognised as a haute couture designer.
01:50They made me what I am today.
01:54Everyone wants to be politically correct.
01:58Maybe not every billionaire, but to say that they are participating in recycling, upcycling and sustainability.
02:05So the fact you can say that I've got a couture dress like that is a unique statement in the world of style.
02:12Among his buyers are quite a few prominent names, including superstars like US singer Taylor Swift,
02:17German entertainer Heidi Klum and Brazilian actress Jessica Cayenne.
02:24It's real proof that couture could be sustainable and could use some different materials.
02:33And it's very important for the world and the planet.
02:37And Germainier makes this thing, it's like perfect.
02:43Kevin Germainier is the latest darling of Paris fashion circles.
02:47He was even recently commissioned to create the 120 costumes for the Paris Olympics closing ceremony.
02:54What exactly sets him apart?
02:57Upcycle, recycling, reinventing the whole fabric.
03:01People have been doing that in streetwear and ready-to-wear, but no one really has done it in couture practically.
03:10Secondly, Swiss, there hasn't been a Swiss couturier in a very long time.
03:14It's very much a kind of self-funded project that he has done.
03:18He's not a big house behind him, he doesn't have a rich daddy.
03:23Nevertheless, his fashion label Germainier is still a Swiss family business.
03:28Many of his relatives help out, even his grandmother does knitting for his collections.
03:35Right from the start, I told my mum and dad that when I launched my label, I'd only do it with them on board.
03:42Because it's a big step.
03:45And then my grandmother decided to join in as well.
03:49Kevin Germainier's grandmother did the knitting for his very first haute couture show.
03:54His unique designs were celebrated and applauded.
04:00Everything's different with him.
04:02His whole approach, his pieces, his materials.
04:09His colors are vibrant, sexy, rock'n'roll, futuristic.
04:15Which sets him apart as well.
04:18Cutting-edge fashion made of things taken from the dumpster.
04:22Original, sustainable and successful.