Innovate in the world of fashion, use a natural material, certainly unusual, but solid, local and 100% biodegradable: Tanguy Mélinand, 23, may still be young, he has already found his way. His inspiration comes to him from below his home, on the Sainte-Marguerite beach, in Landéda (Finistère), in the country of Abers.
“At the base, I was in rugby study sport, at the Kérichen high school, in Brest, says the young man. But I quickly wanted to choose a path other than that of my comrades”. Fascinated by the world of fashion but still a novice in the field, he repeated his senior year to integrate a preparatory course in applied arts – STD2A, in one year, which he did in Lille.
“Later, not having the means to enter private schools, I applied for large public schools”. He was accepted into the prestigious School of Art and Design (HEAD), in Geneva, Switzerland, where he joined the very limited promotion of the fashion and accessories design bachelor. “That’s where I was able to let go a little on the issue of upcycling (recovery of unused or unusable products in order to transform them and give them a new life), the principle of which had always interested me. I was able to surf on elements of my daily life, at home, in Landéda”.
He patented his technique
This is how, when he returned to Brittany, he devoted himself to collecting seaweed, kelp, royal kombu (laminaria saccharina) and Laminaria digitata in particular. He works to develop various techniques to soften and preserve in the open air and in a sustainable way all the quality of the seaweed when it is immersed. “I dry them well,” explains the young designer. Thanks to a mixture of natural products, I manage to give them a texture similar to that of leather”. His first technique is now patented, hence the secret he keeps about his know-how.
Thanks to him, he was able to make clothes: a “denim jacket type” jacket, a “workwear style” skirt and pants. For now, the seams are topstitched with biodegradable cotton. The color, brown and yellow, lightens and reveals itself with sunlight and over time. The touch, particular, does not resemble anything known… “And no, there is no unpleasant smell! Tanguy laughs. Any hints, slightly iodized, fade with time. At the same time, when you put on leather clothing… it smells of leather, doesn’t it? “.
Awarded in China, exhibited in Switzerland, invited to Iceland
This first collection, which can only be seen on her Instagram, even won the Yingzer Prize in 2022, an international fashion competition in China! Another of his pieces is still on display at the Lausanne Historical Museum. And, as he always has the wind in his sails, the young Landédaen is selected for Design Week, to which he will go in May 2023 in Reykjavik (Iceland). In addition to the exhibition of his pieces, he should even make one for one of the renowned artists programmed as a DJ set.
But for the time being, he continues to work in his studio, which he shares with the ceramist Nathalie Louarn, at Aber-Wrac’h. The long-term objective is to develop and democratize seaweed in the world of fashion and to create its own brand.
He seeks, initially, to exhibit in galleries from Brittany to the four corners of Europe, but also support or advice from laboratories specializing in algae, in general. “Financial support too, if possible,” he slips timidly. The research that I undertake is not always given financially and I will probably not have covered my subject in a single life! »