Les Dessous de Blue - Lingerie handmade in Paris

IT’S A RAINY SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN THE 18TH ARRONDISSEMENT OF PARIS. MONTMARTRE. THE AREA OF ARTISTS, PHILOSOPHERS, AND THE SACRÉ-COEUR. I AM SITTING DOWN FOR TEA WITH MY FRIEND BLUE DURAFFOURD TO TALK ABOUT HER LINGERIE BRAND. SHE IS 22 YEARS OLD AND FOUNDED “LES DESSOUS DE BLUE” A YEAR AGO, EVERYTHING IS DESIGNED AND SEWN BY HER IN FRANCE. WE MEET IN HER GRANDMOTHER’S PARISIAN APARTMENT. SHE IS AN ARTIST – WHICH IS UNDENIABLE IF YOU LOOK AROUND. THE ROOMS HAVE HIGH CEILINGS, ARE FILLED WITH LIGHT AND THERE ARE SCULPTURES, CANVASES, AND DRAWINGS EVERYWHERE. BLUE TURNED ONE OF THE ROOMS INTO HER ATELIER. THE DESK WE’RE SITTING AT IS HER WORKPLACE, IT’S FILLED WITH THREADS ORGANIZED BY COLORS, SCISSORS, PINS, FABRIC SWATCHES, DRIED FLOWERS, AND LINGERIE PIECES IN THE MAKING. UNDER THE TABLE STANDS HER SEWING MACHINE THAT TRAVELS WITH HER BETWEEN PARIS AND HER SECOND HOME IN NORMANDY. WHILE WE ARE TALKING, SHE IS PINNING IMAGES FROM THE LATEST COLLECTION ONTO A MOOD BOARD ‘I CAN NEVER DO NOTHING!” SHE SAYS.

words and photography by SARAH MARIE FRANKEN

How would you describe your lingerie brand?

The first word that comes to mind is simplicity. Les Dessous de Blue is all about underwear that you can wear in everyday life, but the pieces always have something that makes them a little different, a little detail that makes them special. It’s all about the combination of comfort and sexy.

How did your journey start? I remember you said you learned how to sew already in school.

I did a baccalauréat professionnel for three years. It’s something you can do in France where you specialize already in high school for a specific area. I didn’t like school, so it was great to do something more practical. Each year you had to do a three-months-long internship. I loved that. In this school I learned sewing, we started with regular garments, lingerie was just a small piece of the class. But I liked it the most.

WhY?

Because it’s so small. When you do clothes, you need such a huge table, so much fabric and the seams are endless. With lingerie you’re much faster and you can take your work with you everywhere. I always travel with my sewing machine! And I love the lingerie fabrics, they are so beautiful and delicate! I did inspiring internships in which I learned that sewing lingerie is what I love to do.

“With lingerie you’re much faster and you can take your work with you everywhere. I always travel with my sewing machine!”

Blue Duraffourd

Where were the internships?

The first one was at Maison Cadolle, an Haute Couture lingerie brand that exists since the 19th century, I loved it. Then I went to Princesse Tam Tam. A younger brand, very popular in France, there’s one at every corner. In both internships I was cutting, sewing, doing everything. A guy from Princesse Tam Tam recommended an one-year program to me where I could specialize in lingerie professionally.

Your final collection from this school became your first selling collection, didn’t it?

At the end of the one-year program you had to present a collection as if you were a real brand. I put everything into it, a friend helped me to design a logo and to do all the branding. We did stickers, bags, everything. And I already started an Instagram account where I posted the first prototypes. There was a braderie, it’s a flea market my school organized, where you could buy fabrics other students didn’t need anymore. I found this beautiful Vichy-pattern, in English it’s called Gingham, in light blue and white. It’s 100% cotton. So cute! I uploaded the first panties to Instagram to see if they sell. They did! That was my first product, it all started with these little checked panties.

How did you make your brand grow from there?

Consistency. I made it my rule to post one time a day. And I met a small artist on social media who does stamps on fabrics. She stamped peaches on a fabric that I have sown into a little set, a bra and pantie. We both posted it and I started to grow an audience on Instagram. And then it went on from there.

When did you make your next collection?

Last July. It was my first summer collection called French Riviera. It lasted until October. Until now, I did four collections within one year. All limited items, and all the collections consisted of only a few items. Besides the lingerie sets, I also offer small clothing items. I designed a bathing suit, a body and two silk lounge sets with little bows in the front. The next collection had a royal blue set, a black silk corsage – which I know you loved – and a yoga set made of cotton and elastane. I always choose only high quality fabrics from France! For summer the colors were white, lavender and rosé. I made a few sets. I get bored of doing a set quickly, I am already thinking about the next lines! I’d love to do an orange set with the mesh fabric I used for the royal blue ensemble. I already dyed the elastic bands for it!

You dye yourself? How do you do this and where?

I always try to match the color of the accessories – meaning the elastic, straps and hooks – exactly to the color of the fabric. I can only buy the accessories in large quantities, so I just get them in white and color them myself. I use a coloring powder that I put into boiling water. I add the accessories, let them soak for a few minutes, rinse them off, wring them out and let them dry in the sun. Sometimes I do this with fabrics too, I just buy the white version and adjust the color as I like. It’s great when you’re a business that’s just starting out and it’s fun to do!

So interesting! Another question, I listened to the Simon Sinek Ted Talk the other day and he said: „People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it!“ Why do you do what you do?

Because I love creating. To have just fabric and thread and make something you can actually spend your life in – that’s my passion. There are all these fast fashion companies today that only want to make profits and produce low quality garments under horrible working conditions. I want to create a small brand that produces fair, has good relationships with all people involved and uses high quality materials. For me it is all about the relationships!

“I want to create a small brand that produces fair, has good relationships with all people involved and uses only high quality materials.”

Blue Duraffourd

Do you work with a team already?

Only a friend of mine who helps me sew occasionally. She lives down the street. She does the garments and I do the lingerie. I buy her the fabrics and accessories and bring everything to her. And then I pay her for the patterns and garments that she made.

What are challenges you have faced running your own business?

Right now, it’s really annoying to be alone all the time. I am alone in my dream, in my own world. It would be so much better to have a team, but I can’t afford it yet. Also, to not give up. It takes so much time to build your brand and a name. Our neighbor downstairs is making bags and it took her 10 years now to get only a little bit known.

Did you have a specific moment when you wanted to give up?

A few weeks ago. I had the worst month since the beginning of my business. The shops and terraces of the restaurants in France reopened after Covid and people spend their money going out. No one was shopping online anymore. During Covid I was selling a lot, people were home and shopped online. But when that stopped and the monthly profit was low, that was tough. I asked myself what my plan b would look like if the brand didn’t work out. But I stopped thinking about it, because I love what I do! I will do everything for it to work.

What is your dream scenario for your brand?

I’d love to sell at Le Bon Marché or other multi-brand stores. At Le Bon Marché they have a corner for new creators – that would be so good. I love it when women wear my lingerie and feel confident in it. It makes me so happy to receive images of girls that wear the lingerie and tell me that they love it. That’s the best feeling. My dream is to have an atelier in Paris, nothing huge, just around 30 square meters, with two girls sewing for me. And my clients could book a rendezvous in the atelier and just come by. They could try on the pieces directly where they were made and I could give them advise in person. I want to have a personal relationship with my clients. I want my brand to be human, I want it to be about relationships, to my clients and the people that work for me.

“My dream is to have an atelier in Paris, nothing huge, just around 30 square meters, with two girls sewing for me. And my clients could book a rendezvous in the atelier and just come in.”

Blue Duraffourd

You don’t dream of a huge expansion?

No, I would be absolutely happy with the small atelier. Of course, I need to make enough money to feed my kids later and so forth. So, expanding my client base is important. Shipping to Germany and other neighboring countries, like I do for you, I would love to do more of that. I always want to produce small quantities on demand though, I never want to go into mass production. That would not be true to the brand. I much prefer to do small quantities, as I am always in front of it, I get tired of it. And for my clients it’s more interesting too. By working with small quantities the lingerie exists as a limited edition. Only a few people will own the same items.

True. Do you think customer behavior changed during the pandemic?

I think the demand for mass production and especially fast fashion gets less. But this already happened before the pandemic, maybe Covid intensified this movement. But it is a fact that young people around the world don’t want to buy from Zara, H&M and these brands anymore, people get more aware. A lot of people get aware of what is happening in the fashion industry, so they want to buy more vintage, handmade and upcycled garments. They want to buy things in high quality made under good conditions.

What would be the first thing you’d change about the fashion industry if you could right now?

I would love more space, visibility and accessibility for small businesses that are starting out in the fashion industry. I contacted a few well-known influencers and I received their media kits – it is so expensive! They only promote affluent brands like Chanel, Isabel Marant and other big names. For a story on Instagram they charge 3.000 € and for a post 5.000 €. They don’t offer a package for small brands, they don’t care. Unfortunately, currently to work with influencers is an effective way to make your brand grow more known quickly. The prices are similar for publishing houses, a magazine called Biba contacted me recently and told me they would love to do an interview with me. But they also wanted to charge 5.000 € for a page. I asked her for a better deal and she offered me a 5% discount. As a small business this is too expensive. I wish there would be more awareness about this problem and more support for young brands to get into the market.

“I would love more space, visibility and accessibility for small businesses that are starting out in the fashion industry!”

Blue Duraffourd

Was there any other support you’ve experienced as a young brand?

At the beginning there were a few small influencers that shared my products. That was really nice! But now they grew, they are in agencies and unfortunately don’t care about smaller jobs anymore.

I wish there would be a mentor ship program or other kinds of support for young brands. Especially if they focus on sustainability, local production and handmade products like you do. By the way, how do you choose the fabrics for your collections?

There is a fair in Paris called Salon International de la Lingerie, at Porte de Versailles, it is lingerie heaven, an absolute dream! It’s three days, twice a year and you can find various manufacturers. Here, I found Jabouley Dentelle and I only buy my fabrics from them now. They are made in France and the quality is amazing! The fabrics they have inspire me for the collections. It’s mostly fabrics or a specific color I have in mind that is my inspiration to create.

Amazing. Ok, last question. This one I ask everyone I interview. with Luméra We want to shine a light on people of the fashion industry that have a positive impact in it. Is there any topic, person or brand that you would like to shine a light on?

Buy vintage! It’s sustainable and fun! In Paris there are many great vintage shops and you find pieces that they simply don’t make as well anymore. I feel like before fast fashion everything was more beautiful. Just look at old movies. Things were made to last and the quality is so much better than what you can find at Zara, H&M and all these stores now. People were so much better dressed before fast fashion!

That’s very French of you to say! I totally agree, I love vintage shopping too, especially here in France. Thank you so much for all these insights and inspirations! Your brand is so great, keep doing what you’re doing!

lesdessousdeblue.com

Further Reading