Recycling community celebrates ‘car couture’

Anyone who knows me will tell you I hate surprises. However, during a long conference day I don’t mind people using their creativity to liven things up a bit. I’m talking about an impromptu fashion show at the annual IARC event in Antwerp.

‘And now for something a little different…,’ I hear Febelauto’s managing director Catherine Lenaerts announce as I bash away on my laptop. Taking notes, looking over graphs – the usual. It’s half an hour before lunch on day two and people are starting to get distracted. Suddenly the lights dim, music plays and a spotlight follows a figure who has appeared in a doorway.

Delegates turn to see a tall woman in high heels walking towards the stage to ‘Hit the Road, Jack’ with an intricate skirt made from car seatbelts trailing behind. Her dark hair is bound together by a crown-like headdress and her torso seems almost poured into a leather-like body armour, fitting like a second skin.

The model ascends the stage amid excited applause – some people stand up. I spot the smirk on Lenaert’s face and the satisfied murmurs of her team alongside me. The mission was clear: demonstrate that car recycling isn’t boring and put a unique twist on materials we usually don’t give a second glance. In this case, it’s mostly car interiors.

‘I helped cut the leather myself,’ Lenaerts tells me over coffee. ‘It was great fun. We sourced the material from cars waiting to be scrapped at the Belgian Scrap Terminal here in Antwerp. The ceo Caroline Craenhals was more than happy to support this idea. Both of us love fashion.’

The recycled outfit was created by eco-conscious designed Valentine Tinchant, who joined us in Antwerp to promote her ‘Car Couture’ series. ‘I realised in the first year of my studies that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting sectors in the world,’ the young woman tells me as the model touches up her lipstick behind us. ‘This inspires me to make things that are both beautiful and sustainable.’

The model quickly changes into another look, showcasing it in the foyer as the session draws to a close. Tinchant says the collection was also featured at the recent QMusic Awards in Rotterdam. ‘Big events are a great way to help the recycling community build engagement with the general public in an aesthetically pleasing and lighthearted way.’

Craenhals, who also hosted the IARC’s networking dinner at Antwerp Art Museum (shown above), is one of the reasons Belgium recycles upwards of 77% of end-of-life vehicles (by weight) every year. The overwhelming majority of the remaining material gets reused.

This accounts for more than 110 000 cars ‘put to good use’ every year. As the Febelauto team concludes: ‘Second-hand cars are a first-class resource.’

The IARC report will be published in our upcoming issue!