Métamorphase !
Panel discussion with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Maroussia Rebecq, and SoulOfDesigner, moderated by Lauriane Gricourt, director of Les Abattoirs.
As early as the 1970s, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac began using everyday materials to transform them into clothing. By repurposing everyday objects such as blankets, mops, cardboard, and raffia, he was ahead of his time in the rise of upcycling. This practice, coined in the 1990s, refers to the reuse of raw materials and various objects to transform them into true textile works of art—unique garments.
For the roundtable discussion, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac revisits this approach to clothing in conversation with two artists and fashion designers, Maroussia Rebecq and SoulOfDesigner, to discuss their respective practices. For one evening, gathered around the idea of repurposing, the three will share their experiences.
To bring the “L’Imagination au pouvoir” series to a festive close, the panel discussion will be followed by a fashion show-performance organized in collaboration with the Institut Myriam, under the artistic direction of Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.
Maroussia Rebecq is an artist, designer, and entrepreneur. As the founder of Andrea Crews, she is one of the pioneering figures of upcycling in France, at the intersection of fashion, contemporary art, and performance. As early as 2002, she asserted a radical vision of clothing as a living, social, and political medium, notably through a sprawling upcycling performance at the Palais de Tokyo; it was on this occasion that she met Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, who participated in the project. With Andrea Crews, she develops a collective, experimental, and socially conscious approach to fashion, where clothing becomes a space for transformation: of bodies, narratives, uses, and imaginations. Today, she continues this exploration with Uprising School, a school dedicated to transforming creativity. There, she guides artists and entrepreneurs in revealing their uniqueness, structuring their vision, and turning their creative power into a force for action.
https://maroussiarebecq.paris/
SoulOfDesigner is a fashion designer. Although she has no formal training in fashion design, she is self-taught and now showcases her creations on social media, where she is particularly active. Her work is also inspired by upcycling, which led her to collaborate with American actress Teyana Taylor and her brand Pretty Little Things. She has also collaborated with various other brands, notably with Maison Florin for Paris Fashion Week 2025.