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Inspyrations
Behind the brand
"Flipping the table is how we move things forward."
Born from the encounter between cutting-edge textile technology and a radically human approach to the outdoors, Inspyrations designs garments made to last, be repaired, and above all, to be lived in outside.
We met Grégory, the founder of the brand, at the Toptex Cube workshop in Clavaison to talk about innovation, circularity, minimalist design, and the jacket we developed together.
To begin, can you tell us how Inspyrations came to be and what your original intention was for the brand?
Grégory: Inspyrations started with a meeting: with the Toptex Cube workshop, where we are today. I had spent over 20 years in the outdoor industry, a field I know well, with all its strengths... and its limits. When I discovered the seamless bonding technology developed by Toptex Cube, I immediately saw a unique opportunity: to build a brand that genuinely looks to the future.
With this tool, we could imagine a brand built on three pillars: technical performance, environmental impact, and people. We manufacture locally, with a regional supply chain, in a human-scale workshop.
In terms of identity, what inspired you?
I grew up in Chamonix in the 1990s, when alternative mountain sports like freeride skiing were emerging, heavily influenced by music, progressive rock, alternative, and board culture: surfing, skating... That outsider energy left a strong mark on me.
Inspyrations is the meeting point between technical outdoor and cultural and artistic influences from music and streetwear.
That’s also what our logo represents, designed by Estelle Dubreuil, our art director. It’s an inverted Y, symbolizing our desire to “flip the table.” While everyone else outsources across the globe, we do everything here in Clavaison.
If you had to describe Inspyrations to someone unfamiliar with the brand, what would you say?
I’d say Inspyrations is the brand of the future but one that needs to exist right now. It’s designed for contemporary active lives, for people who seize every opportunity to be outside. Our products are high-performance, suited for all weather conditions, and have an exceptionally low environmental footprint.
It’s a brand for a multicultural, multi-territory lifestyle, aiming for the lowest environmental impact and the highest human value.
Why the name "Inspyrations" and the unusual spelling?
The word “inspiration” came up constantly in our creative process. But it’s been overused, so we wanted to give it new meaning. We replaced the “i” with a Y, a strong symbol of balance and convergence.
The Y also nods to Grenoble, a key city in our ecosystem, located between three mountain ranges and crossed by the Isère river. And we flipped the letter to signal our desire to rewrite the rules, to overturn the system.
We also added an S at the end, because our inspirations are plural: outdoor culture, music, streetwear… It’s a multidisciplinary brand, just like our vision.
How are your pieces actually made?
We’ve developed a unique process we call Y, like the letter, but also like “why” in English, because we question everything.
The Y technique is a four-step seamless bonding technology:
- Laser cutting: extremely precise, no waste, and it seals the fabric edge for added strength.
- Heat bonding: we apply adhesive strips to the areas we want to join, then press them together using heat and pressure.
- No stitching: so no need for seam tape or visible stitching. The result is lighter, more flexible, compact and naturally waterproof.
- Repairability: this type of construction allows for easy repairs, enabling a truly circular model.
This process lets us create garments that are not only technically advanced but also rich in meaning. An Inspyrations jacket offers a new perspective on the world.
Where do your fabrics come from, and how are they made?
Our jackets use a three-layer structure, or hard shell:
Outer layer: made in France by Chamatex, from recycled polyester, abrasion-resistant, lightweight, and flexible.
Membrane: made in Germany by Sympatex, also from polyester, waterproof and breathable, with micropores that let vapor through but block water.
Inner layer: a polyester jersey from Italy, protecting the membrane from interior wear.
The whole fabric is 100% polyester, enabling direct recycling at end of life, no complex disassembly needed. That kind of single-material construction is extremely rare in the industry.
What are the real-world benefits of the Y technique for users?
Our technology unlocks the full potential of materials. Traditional sewing punches holes in fabric. We don’t, our laser cut keeps it whole. That makes the jacket more tear-resistant, lighter, softer and easier to pack. You can stash it in your pocket, whether you’re cycling to work or heading into the mountains.
Another benefit: no seam tape, so no added weight or stiffness. We preserve the breathability of the fabric, which seam tape usually blocks. The result? A jacket that breathes better, lasts longer and is fully repairable.
Let’s talk about repairability, how do you approach it?
It’s a core principle. Since we don’t pierce the fabric, it remains intact. If a sleeve gets damaged, we can simply peel it off and re-bond it. It’s quick, clean, and looks new. Even for common repairs like a broken zip, there’s no need to unstitch. We apply heat, swap it out, re-bond. You could even change the zip color, make it your own and extend the life of your jacket with style.
Design-wise, what are your influences? How do you work with your art director?
Our technology naturally leans toward a clean, minimalist aesthetic. But we draw from many influences.
There’s the outdoor DNA from my years in Chamonix, I love structured forms, high collars, functional silhouettes. The shell jacket is my favorite, a raw aesthetic born in the 1990s with freeride skiing.
But there’s also a strong streetwear and musical influence, especially in other pieces like our blazer. We play with volumes, colors, and distinctive details, like our Y logo placed on the forearm, far from conventional branding.
Our art direction is led by Estelle Dubreuil, an illustrator and graphic designer from the world of children's publishing. She brings a strong graphic sensibility, clearly visible in our simple, symbolic, reversed logo.
If you had to sum up the spirit of the brand?
We put it into our tagline: Made in Progress. It says it all:
Made in, because we make things here, in France.
Progress, for technical innovation, but also for human and environmental advancement.
It’s our way of saying that we’re always moving forward, always trying to do better.
You mentioned circularity, can you expand on your long-term vision?
Our Y technology, the Toptex Cube–Chamatex ecosystem, and our human-scale workshop make true circularity possible. Why? Because we can disassemble nearly every part of a product. A worn jacket can be repaired, returned to the customer, or resold second-hand. That system will be launched soon with benefits for consumers.
We control everything in-house: materials, assembly, lead times. Sympatex calls it “closing the loop.” Our goal is for each jacket to complete 15,000 life cycles, use, repair, reuse. That way, we reduce the need to produce more and extend each jacket’s life. It’s a butterfly-effect model: every use cycle lowers the overall impact. We don’t claim zero impact, that would be dishonest. But we want every jacket to have a long-term positive effectthrough its durability, repairability, and reusability.
What are your recent and upcoming projects?
We’re thrilled about our Inspyrations x Centre Commercial jacket, it’s a real milestone for us.
We’re also preparing a crowdfunding campaign to raise brand awareness and make the product more accessible, especially with partners like Centre Commercial, who are strategic for us.
A major focus is versatility. People often doubt “multi-use” products. But our technology makes real versatility possible. One of our ambassadors, Pierre Larris, is both a mountain guide and a competitive sailor. He wears the same jacket for ice climbing and coastal sailing. That’s the idea we want to demonstrate, one jacket that really does it all.
And finally what’s your vision of Centre Commercial?
To me, Centre Commercial perfectly embodies what we were talking about earlier making responsible consumption desirable, aesthetic, and contemporary. When you walk into the store, it feels right. It’s beautiful, it’s curated, there’s a mood.
We share the same desire to tell a different story, to offer a responsible experience without moralizing. There’s a real attention to product selection, to atmosphere, to design.
That same care is reflected in our jackets a refined minimalism, with strong visual impact and meaning.
For me, Centre Commercial is what a concept store should be at its best: trendsetting, forward-thinking, committed. And that’s where we meet. At Inspyrations, we push technology, local sourcing, and durability to the limit. Centre Commercial is the perfect place to bring that vision to life and to share it with people seeking something beautiful, thoughtful, and real.
