Hermana Clothes

For most people, recycling clothes is out of reach. A seam gives way, a stubborn stain sets in, or the style falls out of fashion, and the verdict tends to be the same: straight into the bin. Audrey Schoepfer sees things differently. In this mountain of textile waste, the Luxembourg-based entrepreneur spots an untapped resource. She has built a supply chain that turns those discards into materials that are both sustainable and stylish, from acoustic and thermal panels to promotional items.

Her creations are starting to adorn the premises of a number of companies. Foyer Assurances is one example, with its own employees providing the raw materials. Staff brought in damaged clothes, dresses, curtains and more, which she transformed into stylish acoustic panels, later installed in the insurer's new open-plan office to improve working comfort.

Making something new

Schoepfer did not fall into this line of work by accident. A high-school diploma with a focus on drawing was followed by a specialisation in interior architecture in Strasbourg, before the Thionville native returned to Luxembourg. The 2020 lockdown stirred in her the desire to pursue a more personal project. She felt the urge to draw again and to bring her sewing machine back out. It was while designing clothes that she first came across the concept of upcycling.

She had no real idea of the enormous impact of the textile industry, she admitted, or of the fact that it ranks as one of the most polluting industries in the world. From that moment on, there was no going back. She sorted through her wardrobe and began giving some of her clothes a second life and, above all, a stronger identity. That became the foundation of Hermana Clothes, founded in 2021.