My first production.

Episode 2

Dear female readers,

Last time, I told you how I launched the brand with my €5,000. Today, I'm going to tell you about my very first production run. The one that almost brought everything to a halt.

It all started with my first drawings. Don't worry, I'm not a great artist. But my sketches were clear enough to explain my ideas for my first collection. Next step: finding a workshop… and some fabric. I started my search on Google, on forums… and yes, ChatGPT didn't exist yet.

I finally found a few addresses. First mission: fabric stores. I enthusiastically selected my first meters. Next, an appointment with a workshop. I arrived very proud with my drawings and little scraps of fabric attached to each sketch, a bit like in the movies. Reality was slightly different. He looked at my drawings and said, “I need technical specifications. Your drawings are cute, but we can’t work with that.”

Needless to say, I completely lost it. And I admit, I was furious. But he quickly realized I wasn't from the industry. I showed him photos of the designs that inspired me. That's when everything changed. He took a sketchbook, redrew my designs, corrected some things, and improved the cuts. To me, they were true works of art. A month later, I saw my first prototypes… and it was magic. Everything I had imagined in my head finally existed. My very first collection.

I thought the hardest part was behind me. Spoiler alert: not at all.

When I went back to buy the rolls of fabric to produce my collection, I learned something crucial: the fabrics I had chosen were end-of-roll remnants. No more stock. My collection simply couldn't be produced. Luckily, the fabric merchant told me about a trade show: Première Vision, the major fabric fair where suppliers from all over the world gather. As luck would have it, it was taking place the following week.

I went there and discovered a whole new world: hundreds of booths, thousands of fabrics, technical jargon I didn't always understand. I wanted to be taken seriously, so I'd learned a couple of technical terms so I wouldn't come across as a complete novice. I started wandering the aisles, picking up maps, looking at the fabrics… and I came across a lovely woman at one of the booths. We chatted, and I explained that I was just starting out, that I was learning about this trade. She took me under her wing, for a bit.

And she said something that would change everything: “You should produce abroad; the prices are much better.” She gave me a few contacts. I called them. The first two workshops quoted me quantities that were impossible for me. The third, in Tunisia, said yes.

I fly to meet them. The welcome is warm; they show me the workshop, the seamstresses, their expertise. I feel confident. I entrust them with my designs, my savings, and my little baby. Three to four weeks of production, they tell me.

Meanwhile, I went back to Paris and worked on everything else: creating the website, choosing the packaging, and developing the brand identity. A month and a half later, the truck finally arrived at my house. My husband and I carried the boxes up to my living room, which I was using as an office. I opened the first box, the shirts… and something seemed odd. I took a size 36, then a 42, and layered them. Exactly the same size.

I thought it must be a labeling error. I opened a few more. But no. All the sizes were identical. And that wasn't the only problem. Some pieces were poorly sewn: one sleeve longer than the other, a skirt shorter in the back than in the front, and even a pair of pants with a hole in the leg… hidden with a piece of tape.

I felt naive, stupid, and ruined. I cried a lot for several days. I had barely started and it all seemed over already.

Then I pulled myself together. Not everything was unusable. So I went through each piece one by one. I checked everything down to the millimeter. By the end of the day, I had enough usable pieces to sell. I decided to sell them in one size only, hoping to at least recoup my investment.

So I organized my first photoshoot. One of my best friends became a female model and my daughter a child model, since my first collection was for women and children. I transformed myself into a makeup artist, hairstylist, photographer, videographer, and editor. And in fact, even today, I'm the one who edits all our videos.

Everything is ready. On July 5th, the site finally opens. The day before, my husband had told me: “If a real customer—not a friend, not family, someone you don't know—buys anything, I'll take you for a drink at Raphael's.” And you know what? It wasn't one customer who bought anything… but ten.

Thanks to this first collection, I managed to recoup my investment. And above all, I made a decision: never again. I wanted to produce close to home, understand each step, and see my workshop.

That's how I switched to buying French-made products. And ultimately, this disaster was the beginning of a beautiful story. Because sometimes, the biggest mistakes turn out to be the best decisions.

In the next newsletter, I'll tell you about the Covid and post-Covid years. A period that has been a springboard... but also a real rollercoaster.

See you soon,
Manon 🤍