So Tissus, circular fashion before it was fashionable

22 April is Earth Day. Everywhere, people talk about sustainable fashion, second-hand and the circular economy. Words we've heard a lot in recent years. At So Tissus, we never used them — we simply did it. For more than 30 years.

A story that begins in the Sentier

Long before the word "circular" became trendy, Franck opened his fabric shop in the Sentier district of Paris. The idea was simple: collect the ends of rolls from the great French fashion houses and give them a second life.

These fabrics — silk crêpes de Chine, wool and cashmere gabardines, cotton and linen twills — are the same ones used to create the pieces you see on the catwalks. Except that instead of being thrown away or destroyed once production is over, they end up with us.

From father to son (and brother)

Andy grew up in this world. He first worked in the shop with his father, learning to recognise a good fabric by touch and to understand what makes the difference between an ordinary material and an exceptional one. Then he launched sotissus.com so that sewists all over France (and Europe) could get hold of these fabrics.

Today, Tom runs the shop day to day, Franck still drops in regularly — and when you place an order on the website, there's a good chance the fabric was hand-picked by one of them.

Why it's eco-friendly (without shouting about it)

Every year, the textile industry produces millions of metres of fabric that will never be worn. Production leftovers, order surpluses, rolls that never found a buyer. Some of it ends up in the bin.

What So Tissus does is intercept these fabrics before they're lost. No need to produce new fabric, no need to grow extra cotton, no need to run factories. The fabric already exists — it just needs to find a sewist.

And when you sew a dress in a striped silk crepe from a great Parisian fashion house, you're doing two things at once: treating yourself and avoiding waste. Not bad, right?

Natural fibres, our favourites

We won't lie: at So Tissus, we have a soft spot for natural fibres. Not out of marketing conviction, but because they're the most beautiful to work with.

• Silk — fluid, luminous, incomparable to the touch. Our silk crêpes de Chine are among the most requested.
• Wool — from thick wool coating to houndstooth flannel, it's the noble fabric par excellence.
• Linen — grown in Europe, needs little water, biodegradable. Our chalk linen-cotton is perfect for summer.
• Cotton — from premium cotton to broderie anglaise, the foundation of sewing.
• Viscose — a man-made fibre, but made from wood and biodegradable. Our printed viscoses are ideal for summer dresses.

5 sewing habits for the planet

No need to overhaul your habits. A few simple steps are enough:

1. Sew your own clothes — a handmade garment means zero overproduction, zero unsold stock, and something that really fits you.
2. Keep your scraps — they become pouches, headbands, patchwork. Nothing goes to waste.
3. Choose natural fibres — they last longer and recycle better.
4. Look after your creations — a good fabric that's well cared for lasts for years. We even have a complete guide on the subject.
5. Buy ends of rolls — haute couture quality, with an anti-waste bonus.

30 years and we're not stopping

Franck opened his shop in the Sentier long before the world talked about sustainable fashion. Andy put these fabrics online so everyone could enjoy them. Tom runs the shop every day. And you, with every order, give a second life to a fabric that might have ended up forgotten in a warehouse.

On this Earth Day, we won't give you a speech. We'll just keep doing what we've been doing for 30 years: offering you the most beautiful fabrics, rescued from the production leftovers of the greatest houses.

Thank you for making something beautiful with them.

Andy, Tom & Franck

Want to discover our natural-fibre fabrics? Explore our selection of fabrics on sotissus.com or see them live on Instagram @sotissus_com!

Do you like the fabric in this article's cover photo? It's our khaki Japanese crepe-back satin, chosen by Franck — take a look!

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