In the Parisian makers ecosystem, there is a convergence in the development of small structures, supported by the territorial and political policies.
The support for these social, economic and ecological issues results in a recontextualization and resignification of design production in the city. This strong community strategy defends virtuous and economic interests: Through the last few years there is a growing interest of introducing specific aids to support local manufacturers and the local dynamic in general.

Producing locally and virtuously implies a new relationship with our products and consumption patterns. The challenge we face is two folds: First the need to recreate the symbolic attachment to our objects, followed by the need to facilitate the  infrastructure economically and logistically to realise those new fabrication paradigms. It is imperative to invert the relation between perceived value and production costs.

The symbolic and emotional value added by the relationship with the craftmen, the uniqueness of the fabrication on demand absolutely needs to be appreciated. Likewise for the ecological concerns : The materials are sourced and the product is made close to its place of consumption, with less transportation of material. The journey of the object, from its conception to its manufacturing, must be visible to the consumer.

The viability of urban and open fabrication needs to be strengthen and completed, in where all facets are coming together, reaching from material sourcing, through accessible fabrication tools to open and shared knowledge.

It is laziness that leads us to propose only one simple system, but the plurality of stakes is the key to discover specific dynamics in reducing manufacturing costs and increasing the symbolic and emotional value of the products.

About the Fabcity Store and its Mission

The Fab City Store supports designers, craftmen and makers that envision and build the city of tomorrow; sustainable, open and social. Wether they offer a new life to our waste or manufacture locally, the makers of the Fab City design a new production and consumption paradigm, more sustainable, fair and inclusive. The Fab City Store connects creators and their public through its global network of responsible manufacturers and thoughtful resellers.

The Fabcity Store was formed by different structures and Parisian maker spaces: Ars Longa, Volumes, Villette Markerz and WoMa.
Since 2010, various initiatives have been formed in maker spaces in the north-east of Paris, seeking to come together to pool know-how, skills and desires. An initial group has gathered around 2014, but it is in 2016 that the network came together around Fab City Grand Paris and the Fab City Summit, from which the Fab City Store emerged.

Their relationship is not only a pool of means, machines, suppliers: It is more a combination of desires and good practices shared around the questions of urban manufacturing, on the mission to catalyse the actors of a productive city and to explore global solutions.

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