WE ARE OUR VALUES...
...and the building of our story.
My name is Frédéric Pelhate, founder and creator of Sublimr. As I write these lines, I am fast approaching 50. Naturally, a lot has happened over all these years — beautiful stories, but also moments we would have preferred not to experience... if we had had the choice. Yet, looking back more closely, it’s often those very challenges — to put it mildly — that pushed us to go beyond our limits, to become fully aware of who we are, and to realize what we truly want to do with our lives.
Being part of the solution
And contributing to changing the world — no less than that. You may have noticed that there are plenty of problems on this planet, and that it is often difficult, if not impossible, to bear all these imbalances. And that’s completely normal... in fact, it’s a good sign. The Indian thinker Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986) warned us long ago with these words: “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” Based on these observations, it seems obvious to me that we must embody the very changes we wish to see emerge.
Inventing the world of tomorrow
And exploring the ways we can work together — and, more broadly, build society. I must admit that I was deeply inspired by the book by Frédéric Laloux, “Reinventing Organizations: Towards Inspired Working Communities”, published in 2014, which deals with the evolution of organizational models. His metaphor comparing our ways of organizing (companies, associations, etc.) to a living organism resonated strongly with my own past experiences. Confirmation bias or not, a second obvious truth emerged for me: to continue walking this path.
Designing, producing and marketing clothes differently
Because the situation is both distressing and alarming.
- The fashion industry consumes enormous resources and weighs heavily on the climate: it is responsible for around 2 to 8% of global emissions and is one of the largest water consumers worldwide. Up to 85% of textiles end up in landfills or are incinerated each year. (Source: Geneva Environment Network)
- In Europe, textile consumption ranks as the fourth highest environmental pressure (after food, housing, and mobility). In 2022, Europeans generated about 6.94 million tonnes of textile waste, or roughly 16 kg per person. (Source: European Environment Agency)
- The hidden costs are not internalized: water, energy, chemical pollution, and microplastics generate externalities that are not reflected in today’s prices or profit margins. Things are, however, beginning to shift in Europe with the tightening of the EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) and new environmental labelling obligations. (Source: European Commission)
The list of our system’s failures is unfortunately much longer than these few points. We could also mention the misuse of the "Made in France" label, the working conditions in certain garment factories, or the impact of social media and marketing in general, pushing us toward overconsumption... In short, the challenge is immense. Each of us must take part in driving change.
