Jamyas: an eco-responsible fashion brand, Made in France and Made in Euromed

A brand born at the Saint-Ouen Flea Market

The story of Jamyas, an eco-responsible fashion brand, begins at the Saint-Ouen Flea Market, in Paris.

At first, it all began simply, with a few loyal customers who came directly to the Flea Market to discover the pieces on offer. There was no marketing strategy yet, nor any discourse around sustainable fashion.

The brand was created in 2004, then registered for the first time in 2008, before being re-registered in 2020.

When Jamyas started, eco-responsible fashion was not yet a central topic in the textile industry. However, our way of working was already part of a logic that we now call sustainable fashion.

In its early days, Majdi, the founder of Jamyas, sold vintage clothing, then he specialized in raw denim. Today, this principle corresponds to what is called the circular economy in sustainable fashion.

To produce its collections, Jamyas draws inspiration from French heritage and Parisian elegance. Majdi’s experience in vintage "second-hand" clothing inspires our designs. But with one important particularity: the use of fabric deadstock.

In the textile industry, many fabric stocks remain unused. Rather than ordering new fabrics that draw on natural resources, Jamyas has chosen to work by purchasing only fabric deadstock or organic cotton fabrics.

This approach helps to reduce textile waste and limit the use of new natural resources, two essential principles in an eco-responsible fashion approach.

What is "Made in Euromed" and why?

For more than twenty years, Jamyas has been developing a simple principle that we call Made in Euromed.

Euromed is the short form for Euro-Mediterranean, the geographical sector of our production, which includes Europe, the Mediterranean rim, and of course France, because our goal is to manufacture the garments where we find the fabric, to avoid unnecessary transport of our collections.

These stocks are often made up of noble and high-quality fabrics that remain unused after certain production runs.

Producing as locally as possible to reduce carbon impact

If we find a fabric in France, we have it manufactured in France. If the fabric is found elsewhere in Europe or on the Mediterranean rim, we seek to produce as close to that location as possible.

What interests us above all is the carbon journey of the garment. For example, if a production run is carried out in Dunkerque and delivered to Corsica, the distance can reach approximately 1,550 kilometers. In some cases, producing in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, or Tunisia can represent a similar, or even significantly lower, journey, while applying a specification sheet that respects social and environmental conditions, thus we limit the carbon impact of the garments to develop a sustainable and eco-responsible fashion.

We ban air transport, because air freight is one of the most polluting modes of transport and strongly increases the carbon footprint of garments. The objective is therefore to avoid long transports related to production in Asia, which often characterizes the fast fashion model.

Made in France

When Jamyas indicates Made in France, it means that the garment is entirely manufactured in France.

It is not just a finishing or assembly step: the manufacturing is truly carried out entirely in France.

Currently, we work in particular with Velcorex France, from whom we purchase fabric deadstock in France.

Choosing more natural materials

As much as possible, Jamyas also tries to avoid synthetic materials.

The brand favors more natural fibers such as:

• cotton

• linen

• Tencel

These materials often make it possible to reduce the environmental impact compared to certain synthetic fibers derived from petrochemistry.

These choices help contribute to a sustainable and responsible fashion.

The Rana Plaza turning point

One event deeply influenced the reflection on responsible fashion.

In 2013, the collapse of the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh caused the death of more than 1,100 people working in the textile industry.

This disaster revealed to the whole world the abuses of fast fashion and the production conditions of many garments sold globally.

After this event, one question arose: should we continue to work in a discreet framework or share this vision of eco-responsible fashion more widely?

Sharing a fashion philosophy

From that moment on, the desire was born to leave this closed circle and share this vision of sustainable and eco-responsible fashion more widely.

The goal was not to turn this approach into a marketing argument, but to create awareness and show that another way of designing clothing is possible.

Because, at heart, it is not just about manufacturing clothes.

It is above all a fashion philosophy, a way of thinking about textile creation with more conscience and responsibility.

A structured approach for several years

In 2016, a specification sheet called FASHION VIGILANT was established in order to formalize the approach and structure the eco-responsible fashion strategy developed by Jamyas.

This document helps demonstrate the long-standing nature of the sustainable fashion approach championed by the brand.

Long before the concepts of slow fashion, ethical fashion, or alternatives to fast fashion became widely publicized, Jamyas had already defined several principles.

An eco-responsible and inclusive fashion brand

At Jamyas, eco-responsible fashion is intended for all body types, for everyone.

This is why the brand seeks to offer inclusive fashion, with different sizes and different lengths in order to adapt to everyone.

Sustainable fashion should not be reserved for only one type of silhouette. It must be wearable by different people.

This approach makes it possible to offer responsible, inclusive, and accessible fashion.

Eco-responsible fashion that appeals to young people

Today, Jamyas is among the brands that demonstrate that eco-responsible fashion can also be desirable.

Many sustainable fashion brands sometimes remain very niche or inaccessible.

Our ambition is to offer responsible clothing that appeals to younger generations, by reconciling creation, desirability, and commitment.

Because to become a true alternative to fast fashion, sustainable fashion must also make people want to wear it.

Building an alternative to fast fashion

Today, the textile industry is largely dominated by fast fashion, a model based on the rapid and massive production of clothing.

Faced with this model, Jamyas proposes another approach: produce differently, value existing resources, and prioritize shorter production circuits.

The brand does not claim to be perfect.

But it seeks, at its own scale, to contribute to a more eco-responsible, more sustainable, and more conscious fashion.

Next topic: How to make eco-responsible fashion accessible?

In a future article, we will explain how it is possible to offer Made in France and eco-responsible Made in Euromed garments.

This is an essential challenge for eco-responsible fashion to become a true alternative to fast fashion.