If I were…with Nathalie & Christian

In this “ENCOUNTERS” section, we are honouring people who share the vision of Les Racines du Ciel, whether they are partners, collaborators, friends, artists or simply in tune with the way we look at our profession, our epoch. To launch this section, we are ready to play ‘If I were?’ Les Racines du Ciel style!

IF YOU WERE A SEASON?

Christian : Spring.
Nathalie : I love spring, it’s the renewal. I watch out for the flowers and buds in my little garden.

IF YOU WERE A MATERIAL?

Christian : Water.
Nathalie : Earth.

IF YOU WERE A CHARACTER IN THE ROOTS OF HEAVEN BOOK?

Christian : Morel, clearly.
Nathalie : Morel, of course. He is the guardian angel of the elephants. He tirelessly explains why it is important to stop killing elephants. Besides, I would like to meet the Black Mambas in South Africa one day. These are women’s teams fighting against poaching in the Balule Reserve. They, too, are guardian angels.

IF YOU WERE AN ITEM IN THE CURRENT COLLECTION?

Christian : A little round-necked sweater in black.
Nathalie : A basic v-neck sweater that I wear tirelessly like a second skin. Above all, our collection responds to a simple need: to clothe ourselves.

IF YOU WERE A MOMENT IN THE DAY?

Christian : Breakfast, my moment of inner peace.
Nathalie : The end of the day, I relax after my work and let my mind wander.

IF YOU WERE A PHOTO?

Christian : A Bauhaus photo taken in Dessau.
Nathalie : A Gregory Colbert photo taken in Namibia that I have at home and which shows a cheetah and a child.

IF YOU WERE A QUALITY?

Christian : Altruism.
Nathalie : Sensibility. It causes me problems.

IF YOU WERE A COUNTRY?

Christian : An imaginary country that brings them all together. A kind of Babel.
Nathalie : I lived in Japan for a long time and that is a bit like my second home.
However, in the latest stages of my life, I have turned towards Africa.

IF YOU WERE AN ANIMAL?

Christian : An eagle, a giraffe, a dolphin, a cat.
Nathalie : An elephant, a feline, a monkey, a robin, an earthworm etc. They are all my brothers…

IF YOU WERE A MOTTO?

Christian : I love Goethe’s about the one who dreams the impossible.
Nathalie : Leave as little trace as possible on the planet.

Open letter

16 January 201913 May 2019

Textile companies commit

This ‘OPEN LETTER’ section allows us to go beyond clothing in our commitments.
“We want poppies” is a call to ban all pesticides.
As a reminder, pesticides kill the land and animals, and the link with cancer has now been established.
Since cotton is the crop that uses the most pesticides (24% of all pesticides while occupying just 3% of cultivated land), as a company working in the clothing sector we want to join this commitment and invite you to sign the petition. To go further, we suggest you read the book “Nous voulons des coquelicots” (“We want poppies”).

hen we want poppies, we need to look at how we dress, from head to toe. The textile industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. It emits 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases each year, meaning its impact is greater than that of international flights and maritime traffic combined. Cotton alone accounts for 24% of global pesticide production. The clothing market is undergoing a criminal and absurd price war, which means that on average each person buys 60% more clothes than they did 15 years ago and keeps them for half as long.

les racines du ciel journal lettre ouverte petition interdiction pesticides coquelicot

These figures, among others, have been known to those working in the sector for a long time. Some of them have not waited to hear the cries of alarm and other dramas to take their professional responsibilities seriously in the fields of production, clothing, distribution, reuse and recycling.
We invite those working in the sector and the general public to sign the petition and share the call for poppies and a ban on pesticides.

Sign the pétition

les racines du ciel journal zoom sur lettre a elephant

Zoom on

15 January 20195 June 2019

Romain Gary’s letter to an elephant

Our first ‘FOCUS ON’ is dedicated to one of our favourites, Romain Gary’s ‘Letter to an elephant’, first published in March 1968 in Figaro Littéraire. It invites us to find our inner child, to question ourselves about our hyper-materialistic societies which devour everything, animals, plants…even our own humanism.
Literary, emotional and lucid, please take the time to read the letter, it’s truly beautiful.

- Journal