HONEST BY SPEAKS WITH VARIOUS 'GREEN-CONSCIOUS' DESIGNERS DURING PARIS FASHION WEEK. READ ALL ABOUT IT IN OUR REGULAR UPDATES AND INTERVIEWS, WHICH HOPE TO SHED LIGHT ON WHERE AND WITH WHOM THE ISSUE OF 'GREEN' DESIGN SITS.
THIS MONTH DESIGNER GLENN MARTENS,FORMERLY WITH JEAN PAUL GAULTIER, IS LAUNCHING HIS DEBUT COLLECTION. MARTENS IS PART OF A NEW GENERATION OF DESIGNERS ATTEMPTING TO INCORPORATE 'GREEN' IDEALS IN THEIR MANUFACTURING PROCESS.

YOU HAVE BEEN LIVING AND WORKING IN PARIS FOR ALMOST 4 YEARS NOW. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT PRESENTING YOUR FIRST COLLECTION HERE? IS MAKING YOUR OWN COLLECTION MUCH HARDER THAN, FOR INSTANCE, WORKING AS A DESIGNER FOR JEAN PAUL GAULTIER?
I'm pursuing my own dream which makes the personal investment easier. I'm not counting my hours or white nights anymore. It's just a matter of doing ... The work is much more fun and therefore the sacrifice of a weekend doesn't matter. On the other hand we're a young team building up from scratch. I'm involved in every step of the process. I need to split my head in 7 and work on 7 things at the same time. It's hard and exhausting. The only days i've had off in the last 5 months were christmas and new years. I do have the luck to be surrounded by my business partner Rain Laurent, and an amazing family of helping friends which are taking over parts of the work. This is not a job you can do by yourself.

WHAT IS THE INSPIRATION FOR YOUR AW12/13 COLLECTION?
I dissected whatever touches or moves me in life. I discovered all that I love is made out of the same ingredients... a certain dualism, nostalgia, a mystery or a dream. It's often a reinterpretation of an existing entity. I could give the example of my hometown of Bruges, a medieval metropolis put to sleep in the late gothic era due to an economic crisis resulting from the sanding of the river that fed the harbour. It got reinvented as one of Europe's first "modern" touristic hotspots in the late 19th century thanks to the success of Georges Rodenbach's novel "Bruges la Morte". It's a strange city to grow up in. It looks like a lost medieval capital with the vibe of a small provincial town. I think I've been coloured by this mood in all I do and love.

WHERE IS THE GLENN MARTENS COLLECTION MADE?
We wanted to produce everything in Europe. The woven pieces are manufactured in Belgium and France. Our knit is made in Slovenia.

WHAT IS LUXURY TO YOU?
The only luxury is freedom and love.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO PRESENT YOUR COLLECTION?
We have the great honour to have this debut included in Paris' official show-calendar of La Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Prêt-à-Porter. We're organizing a presentation on February 29th in the middle of the Marais. It's not going to be a show, I really wanted to create something intimate and personal, so we opted for a kind of exhibition.

HOW IS THE FEEDBACK FROM PRESS AND BUYERS SO FAR?
It's surreal... Nothing has been officially shown yet, but we did already get visits from international press and buying agencies who gave the kindest feedback. I was just reading an article in Womens Wear Daily presenting us as one of Paris' promising talents....crazy.

HAVE YOU USED ANY ORGANIC, EUROPEAN, RECYCLED OR VEGAN FABRICS THIS SEASON?
All our materials are supposed to be made in Europe. For a small team as ours it's very difficult and extremely time consuming to double check what is actually produced where and how. Nonetheless I do think it's extremely important to use environmentally friendly or "green" materials. It's just a pain that this platform is still very restricted, especially for us young designers... often these materials have extremely high minimums for production which a small independent company like ours cannot possibly reach. We did manage to include some organic materials and we even have recycled wool.

IS THAT A CONSCIOUS DECISION OR MORE LIKE A COINCIDENCE?
It's a most conscious decision.

DO YOU FEEL THAT THE INTEREST IN YOUNG TALENT MIGHT BE RETURNING TO PARIS?
I'll let you know after February 29th.

IS THIS A DREAM COME TRUE FOR YOU?
I do need to pinch myself once in a while… I just don't know if it's because of the dreaming or because of actual exhaustion.

THANK YOU FOR THIS INTERVIEW WE WISH YOU ALL THE BEST WITH YOUR NEW COLLECTION!

DATE PRESENTATION: february 29th from 1.30pm till 8.00pm
LOCATION PRESENTATION: Galerie Du Crédit Municipal: 55 Rue Des Francs-Bourgeois, 75004 Paris

PRESS CONTACT: press@creativedoor.fr 
TELEPHONE: 0033 (0)144788780
COMMERCIAL CONTACT:sales@creativedoor.fr
WEBSITE GLENN MARTENS:http://www.glennmartens.com
WEBSITE CREATIVE DOOR: http://www.creativedoor.fr