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Democratize eco-responsible purchasing with a made in France approach?

Picture Organic Clothing is a brand of freeride, expedition and lifestyle outdoor gear created in 2008 by 3 friends in Clermont Ferrand who are passionate about snowboarding, freeriding and other board sports.

The starting point for Picture Organic Clothing was to democratize the purchase of Eco responsible. As with any project, there are constraints. And to reach the general public, you need to be able to offer competitive products.

Distribution of the Picture Organic Clothing brand in eco-responsible clothing boutiques and specialized websites

Picture Organic Clothing has, from the outset, been able to offer its customers an alternative to what the competition was offering. The brand has been able to differentiate itself from its competitors and position itself against them. Little by little, the brand found its place in the outdoor sports landscape: by integrating physical stores: small retailers and then specialized websites.

Picture Organic Clothing: a new player in ethical and organic clothing

Established in France and then abroad (today over 50% of sales are exported). The brand has banked on its freshness (style, design, history) and its environmental positioning. This has enabled"independent stores to renew their offer, and at the same time Picture to grow, with out-turn rates for our products close to 100%".

Eco responsible and ethical clothing manufacturing

The Picture story is made possible by production in Turkey and China.

As we know, labor is cheaper on the Asian continent. This is part of what enables the brand to keep up with the competition. All this is done in compliance with the "Fair Wear" labor rules, which means that Asian labor does not mean work by 5-year-old children. On the contrary, the factories in which Picture manufactures respect good working conditions, decent wages and ensure the safety of its employees. Application of the 8 Fair Wear standards .

Manufacturing a 100% organic cotton T-shirt: the alternatives

This T-shirt has been made in Turkey in a partner factory since the beginning of the adventure in 2008. The cotton comes from Soke, then the T-shirt is made in Izmir 150 kilometers away. The circuit between cotton production and the factory is very short. Picture buys a tee shirt for €7 from the factory in Turkey, sells it for €12.5 (excl. tax) to us retailers and then between €30 and €33 (incl. tax) to you, the end consumer.
This price enables us to make a decent living and Picture to develop, innovate and pursue its eco-responsible initiatives. As a reminder, a company pays: rent, payroll, taxes, customs, R&D in France, logistics, operating costs. Finally, VAT (20%) is also included in the calculation.

Is it possible to produce an organic cotton garment in France?

Producing in France is not impossible. Alpinstore already works with partners such as Monnet, which has its own factory. Picture Organic Clothing would also like to manufacture in France. The brand's neck warmers are made in Ain (01). The raw material: polyester from Italy.

Neck warmer production at Cenyo's workshop in Chatillon en Michaille (01 - Ain - France)

The first point is to repatriate the raw material to France: organic cotton is not available in France. "The spinning, knitting, dyeing and manufacturing of the finished product would then be done in France".

The T-shirt is no longer bought for €7, but for between €15 and €20, depending on quality. It is then sold to stores for between €30 and €35 excluding tax, for a final price of €70-75 incl. tax. We've completely changed our target market.

This is a far cry from Picture's DNA: democratizing Eco responsible products for the general public.

An Eco responsible brand that manufactures on the other side of the world

Alpinstore and Picture share the same problem: an international brand strategy. Manufacturing in China when you're selling in Japan is less of a problem. But manufacturing in France when you're selling in Japan, it's the same problem the other way round. In short, you're always dealing with parcels that travel thousands of kilometers.

The ideal solution is to manufacture in 3 factories spread across the planet, depending on the customer. This also divides production costs by 3, and therefore increases the selling price of your T-shirt, to return to the example above.

Picture is certainly a pretty French company, but it's still a long way from the volumes of the big brands, and this strategy isn't really appropriate at the moment.

What justifies Picture's Eco Responsible choice today?

- Responsible raw materials (organic cotton, recycled polyester, bio-sourced polyester, reconditioned materials)

- Dyeing processes that consume less energy and water

- Water-repellent treatment without harmful chemicals

- Certifications justifying the first 3 points

- Full knowledge of supply chains, from raw materials to finished product

- A long-standing relationship with our suppliers, and constant improvement of working conditions in collaboration with the Fair Wear Foundation

- Products are transported to storage by boat, Picture does not use airplanes.

- Product packaging made from bio-sourced plastic that can be industrially composted at the end of its life.

Our teams constantly challenge themselves to reduce our carbon footprint and raise public awareness. Every year, the proportion of recycled garments increases.

This year, for example, Picture came up with a machine that transformed bottle plastic before your very eyes into a key-ring that you could take home with you. A fine example of awareness-raising.

Sources: Picture Alpinstore training + article on Picture Organic Clothing website