The VERY BIG BREIZH collection
Founded in 1988, ESMOD Rennes has gradually established itself as the leading fashion school in the west of France. The school has a strong attachment to Brittany and shares Dalmard Marine's values of respect for the environment and human values. For the 2023/2024 academic year, the school has decided to set up a partnership with the century-old company that specialises in peacoats.
Dalmard Marine provided second-year students with several recycled peacoats as part of its national wool coat recycling and transformation programme. These pieces were used as raw materials for an ambitious project: the VERY BIG BREIZH collection.
Starting in January 2024, the students were challenged to design a collection on the theme of XXL Brittany, using peacoats recycled by Dalmard Marine. The project, entitled VERY BIG BREIZH, was to be inspired by sportswear and casual codes, while reinterpreting Brittany in an amplified form.
Jury of professionals and fashion shows
On 17 May 2024, Maxime Dalmard, who has been at the helm of the company since 2017, and Sophie Druillennec, a seamstress at the Paimpol workshop since 2021, had the honour of sitting on the panel of professionals responsible for assessing the students' creations. Their expertise in fashion and textiles provided a valuable and constructive perspective on the work of the young designers.
The day was marked by enriching exchanges between the students and the members of the jury, allowing everyone to share their inspirations, techniques and vision of fashion.
According to Maxime Dalmard, ‘transforming pieces poses unique challenges, but also offers a fantastic opportunity to push back the boundaries of textile innovation.’
On 18 May, a first fashion show was organised at the Champs Libres in Rennes, in partnership with the Musée de Bretagne. On 27 June, a second fashion show will take place on the ESMOD Rennes campus, giving the designers another opportunity to present their collection to the public.