Cannes carpets get a second life

After being walked on for two weeks by stars from Tom Cruise to Rihanna, the legendary red carpets of the Cannes film festival are set for a second life, thanks to an upcycling charity and some environmentally conscious designers.

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The carpets were replaced daily at the festival, which ended on 24 May, with organisers handing over 1.5 tons of fine red material to a non-profit organisation in the port city of Marseille.

The carpets now sit in a warehouse used by the La Reserve des Arts in the deprived northern suburbs of Marseille where they are being sorted, cleaned and prepared for re-use.