Etienne Lambert, a graduate of our Master in Management (PGE) and MSc in International Marketing and Business Development programmes, along with a double degree from the Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland, has been working for three years on the launch of his startup "Ocre". He will ultimately market embroidered t-shirts, inspired by multicultural works.
The alumnus, incubated at SKEMA Ventures, the school's entrepreneurship incubator-accelerator, has had a passion for eco-responsible fashion since writing his final year thesis. "In my work, I became interested in the dynamics of eco-responsible fashion. The topic truly captivated me and provided me with many insights. These skills, combined with the numerous trips during my course at SKEMA, gave birth to Ocre. With Ocre, I work with artists from different ethnicities: they create an original piece of work which they send to me. Then, together, we interpret it into an embroidered design that adorns our t-shirts," explains Etienne, adding: "Today, OCRE works with a Maasai jeweller in Tanzania, a Hmong batik master (an ethnic group from South Asia), and a painter from the Huni Kuin people (Brazil)."
12% of the sale price for indigenous people
With his startup, Etienne wants to support indigenous communities. Thus, 6% of the sale price will go to the artists with whom he collaborates, and an additional 6% will be donated to locally involved associations. "Artists receive an initial payment for the production of their work. Then, with each sale, 6% of the sale price is donated. Furthermore, each collaboration supports an association that works locally with the represented populations," he explains. To launch his idea, the Rhône-Alpes native has successfully launched a crowdfunding campaign on Ulule. This will fund the production of the first t-shirts and enable him to "launch the project". Ocre's first t-shirts will be quite special: they will be made in Portugal from organic cotton.
Join Ocre's crowdfunding campaign to support the project