Sempere is one of the founding members here at Kool and the time has come for you to get to know them and the work that they do, because the work that they accomplish is  truly innovative. 

Based out of Alicante, Sempere has been creating mannequins, busts, and displays for visual merchandising since 1957. Today they are a benchmark in the international retail industry, however; they have not always been dedicated to mannequins… They started in the 1930’s as a family business making dolls from paper mache and eventually out of plastic. When the market for dolls took a downturn, they decided to innovate (something that’s in their DNA) and create a lifesize doll. Their new doll didn’t achieve the success that they had hoped for, but they did not back down from this new challenge. It occurred to them that there was a possible second use of their doll as a dummy for children’s clothing. And with their failed test arose a new opportunity. This small mannequin was the true beginning of Sempere Mannequins.

Continuing, Currently their products are in some of the stores of the most prestigious companies in the fashion capitals. With creativity, innovation and sustainability as their core values, their mission is to inspire and support innovative solutions for the textile retail industry.

Sempere manufactures sustainable, strong, lightweight, and customizable products with recycled material able to be recycled again after its use. Their powerful design team uses 3D technology to customize products. The result of this is that every client can choose how they want their mannequin to be, whether that is a customized sculpture, display, material or finish adapted completely to the brand’s identity. 

We talk frequently about the materials Sempre uses and that is because it is another feature that distinguishes, as they manufacture their products in ResisTek. It is a sustainable, lightweight, super resistant, and 100% recyclable material. It is made by using recycled plastic mannequins that have reached the end of their utility or certain pieces that have been thrown out because of a lack of quality standards.

Another equally important piece of information about the mannequins manufactured with ResisTek is that they are much more durable than conventional mannequins made from polyester. By extending this life cycle, they minimize their environmental impact. Even further, when a ResisTek mannequin reaches the end of its utility, they can recycle it to make a new mannequin out of the resin. In this way it is truly a circle of life for these products is completed.

Sempere is fully committed to respecting nature, not only by its choice of materials but also throughout their production chain, all the way from design to manufacture to distribution and use. The vast majority of their products are manufactured in Spain as they support the local economy.

Sara Sempere is the one who currently holds the reins to the company, facing new challenges as well as finding new innovations. We interviewed her to find out more about Sempere and how they work.

Kool: Hello, Sara! What do you exactly do at Sempere? How are you different from the competition?  

Sara Sempere: At Sempere we manufacture mannequins and exhibitory products for retail. Our principal difference with the competition resides in the manufacturing of our sustainable, unbreakable and recyclable products. Our products have a long life span in the stores and, once they are worn down, we recycle them, closing a cycle of sustainability. Another one of our strengths is our domestic production.

Kool: Tell us about your experience of taking ownership of a business with such a  great reputation in its sector like Sempere. What are some challenges that you have faced? 

Sara Sempere: As a woman and as a third generation family business, my experience has been a complicated challenge, but at the same time very thrilling. I have lived it very passionately, leading the business on to innovation. Renewing many things requires a lot of energy.  

At Sempere we have fostered a very strong design and creation team, which allows us to completely personalize our products for each client. In addition, we have implemented a much more horizontal structure that previously had not existed in the business world.  

We work at the level of bespoke, so that the clients are able to choose how their mannequin or sculpture can look like, with a high level of personalization.

Kool: Tell us a bit more about this horse sculpture that we have in Kool Madrid’s showroom...

Sara Sempere: This horse is a bespoke project that we designed for a client with a very elegant aesthetic. The piece that we have here was tailored for the collaborative showroom with its specific style to fit the environment and the rest of its elements. 

Kool: Does that mean I can ask Sempere to make us a horse, a giraffe, any sort of animal… whatever I’d like? 

Sara Sempere: Yes. We make all types of products for retail: exhibitors, pedestals, sculptures and all types of products for visual merchandising.  

Kool: How does the process of the production of recycled materials look like inside the mannequin industry? 

Sara Sempere: At Sempere we make sure to use all kinds of plastics. We integrate recycled products by working with recycling plants and small businesses. We also recycle the discarded materials and parts from the production process and reuse them, generating zero waste. This is very important because if we do not change the way we produce and consume, the current way of life we live by will never be sustainable. 

Kool: You also have some maniqueins that are made with bottle caps, tell us more about them. 

Sara Sempere: At Sempere we pick up plastics from recycling plants, plastics that are almost impossible to recycle. And our challenge is in that. We reutilize them within our products to add value to our eco-sustainable philosophy in the manufacturing process of mannequins and in the retail sector. 

Kool: Thank you very much Sara and best of luck with your new projects!