Vincent Escalade
It all starts with a question: "What's the point of creating more and more clothes?" Facing this is the obvious pleasure of imagining, making, and wearing clothes, but also the need to rediscover that pleasure. And then another question arises: "How do I put it all back together?"
The Vincent Esclade brand defines itself by its desire to address this issue through upcycling. Launched in 2023 at an event at 3537 in Paris, now Dover Street Market Paris, it draws on artistic and sociological reflection on clothing and its image. Its unconventional and sensitive creative approach is a multifaceted collage of naive aesthetics and a questioning of conventional notions of "good taste."
Vincent Esclade reworks secondhand garments using precise cutting techniques, enhanced by embellishing the material. He takes clothes apart, cuts them up, and reassembles them. This artisanal transformation gives rise to unique creations, balancing deconstruction with a focus on wearability. Dyeing, embroidery, and screen printing complete the creation of these pieces with their multiple identities, hybridizing this raw material rich in history.
Beyond aesthetics, the brand cultivates a strong social dimension through upcycling workshops. These sessions of knowledge sharing and exchange raise awareness about the problem of clothing overproduction, promote repair practices, and question the ways in which garments are created. They foster a collective dynamic essential to Vincent Esclade's creative vision.
Photo by Louise Desnos.
How is Vincent Esclade's creative approach defined?
Artistic and sociological reflections on clothing and its images
Her creative approach is based on an artistic and sociological reflection on clothing. She questions its symbolic and social norms, such as those of gender, as well as the images we project when wearing it. From this emerge installations and objects akin to clothing, constituting an initial research stage before their translation into wearable pieces through upcycling.
The aesthetics of collage as a creative language
The aesthetics of collage bring together sometimes opposing ideas, from the legacy of a certain "good taste" to the desire for a more naive approach to clothing. This intuitive method assembles shapes, materials, and ideas to create diverse garments that form a multifaceted wardrobe. Collage gives the brand a joyful and unconventional freedom.
Handcrafted transformation of second-hand clothing
Craftsmanship is at the heart of Vincent Esclade's creative process. Second-hand clothing, made from recycled materials, is taken apart, cut up, and then reassembled. Sewing, dyeing, embroidery, and screen printing become tools for hybridizing these objects. These skills allow him to transform existing items and give them a second life.
Upcycling and the poetry of second-hand clothing
Working with garments that already have a history allows us to reactivate their forgotten poetry. Clothing is not only a medium for individual expression, but also a collective object, a bearer of connections. Upcycling then becomes a way to create garments that tell shared stories.
Photos by Louise Desnos
Upcycling as a social and committed practice
Repairing and transforming: an ancient clothing tradition
While the term upcycling is recent, the practice it describes is ancient. Before industrial production, clothing was transformed and repaired. From Japanese Boro to the home alterations recounted by my grandmother, these actions reflected a careful and creative relationship with clothing.
Raising awareness of textile overproduction through creative practice
I organize upcycling workshops for amateurs and fashion schools. These sessions raise awareness about textile overproduction and encourage participants to imagine alternative ways of creating. Learning to transform a garment is also about reclaiming a power to make, a profoundly political act.
Meetings and exchanges at the heart of the creative process
These moments of transmission are also essential sources of inspiration. The exchanges, stories, and shared gestures nourish the creative dynamic. This social dimension is indispensable to the balance of my artistic practice and helps to breathe life into the Vincent Esclade project.
Outfit created by Daniel Tossou Ametepe, as part of the Brilliantissim'Upcycling project in Abidjan, with Studio 4 and the support of Ethical Fashion Initiative, in January 2026.
Photos by LATEAMPLS.
The journey of a creator between fashion, craftsmanship and sociology
Experience in luxury homes and creative standards
Vincent Esclade worked as a stylist in the creative studios of VETEMENTS and Givenchy. These experiences instilled in him a rigorous work ethic, an eye for detail, and high technical and visual standards.
to design clothing from the product itself to its visual presentation.
Independent stylist working between craftsmanship and contemporary design
As a freelance stylist, he reconnected with sewing and handcraftsmanship. This period allowed him to rediscover direct contact with materials and volume. He also collaborated with creative brands like Super Yaya and Laurence Airline, exploring other creative worlds.
A participatory artistic practice
Alongside his work as a stylist, he co-founded the association phénomène(s) with Tecla Raynaud Rispal. Together, they lead participatory projects centered on clothing and its image. Workshops, debates, and collective creations explore the social and political representations of clothing.
Academic research on the profession of stylist
Vincent Esclade draws on theoretical tools to address his reflections on his profession and work, thanks to a return to studies in sociology at the University of Paris 8, Vincennes-Saint Denis. Having graduated with a Master's degree in sociology and anthropology, he dedicated his research thesis to the challenges of the professionalization of stylists.
Boutique of unique upcycled clothing made in Paris
