Les Apprêtés: a responsible fashion startup born out of a long IÉSEG friendship

Alumni

03/25/2020

Marie Brandicourt and Anne-Claire Chanvin

Marie Brandicourt and Anne-Claire Chanvin (IÉSEG 2014) met at IÉSEG in 2009. After an exchange program in the Czech Republic, and their five years at the School, the two friends worked together for three years in the same company. Their story continues with a new entrepreneurial adventure, created in 2019: Les Apprêtés, a responsible clothing rental service (that will be available in France , Luxembourg and Belgium) for men and women, which is also a part of IÉSEG’s Incubator.

The startup, which is committed to making fashion more responsible and accessible with three different types of subscriptions, has launched a crowdfunding campaign at the beginning of March (via pre-sales). Based on their five pillars of responsibility, circularity, quality, desirability and transparency, Marie and Anne-Claire founded partnerships only with responsible brands (who offer clothes that have been, for example, upcycled, recycled, or produced in a responsible way, etc.).

Clients will be able to choose from three different monthly subscriptions (without making a commitment), from €59 to €119. Once they have a subscription, they will be able to select from a catalogue of partner brands’ clothing and accessories, then receive a package and enjoy the contents for one month. At the end of the month, they will send the package back and can keep their favorite items for a preferential price…and then start again.

“Little by little, we have been moving towards consuming better. Last year, we thought about how we could align the way we dress with the way we consume in general. We looked at many things that exist (recycled, upcycled clothing, etc.), but we had difficulty understanding why these options were not better known. We found that the prices were higher than that of other brands, and we figured that there was something we could do to make this type of fashion accessible,” Marie explained.

“Last year, we attended a Creathon organized by Makesense, during which time we collaborated with responsible fashion designers and volunteers in Lille. We thought that we would need to find a solution for brands (more visibility) and consumers (more accessible, less waste, etc.). We realized that renting clothing could meet both of these needs. For brands, it meant going further with the circular economy. The idea of a digital platform was born.”

The two alumni joined IÉSEG’s Incubator in 2019: “This allowed us to evolve in an ecosystem of entrepreneurs where everyone has experiences and expertise to share. The IÉSEG Incubator allows us to have personalized coaching and a privileged contact with the Incubator’s partner companies,” Marie and Anne-Claire explained.

In March 2020, the startup hopes to collect more than 150 pre-sales that will help launch the business and develop its reputation. For these pre-sales, Les Apprêtés already have over 10 partner brands and plans to integrate around 10 new brands by the end of the year.

You can follow the startup (in French) via:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/les.appretes/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/les.appretes/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/34641553/
Crowdfunding campaign: https://www.kisskissbankbank.com/fr/projects/les-appretes