It’s a loose, light shirt that smells like summer. It is offered in different colors, fashioned in an organic cotton canvas, woven in France and made in Portugal. And she even has a little name, “Tony”. A few days ago, it was available for pre-order on the Patine brand’s website. Launched in 2017 by Charlotte Dereux and Nicolas Poyet, this Parisian label has, in fact, made pre-order its mode of operation.
Thus, several times a year, key pieces of the women’s wardrobe – a T-shirt, a sweatshirt, jeans, earrings or even denim shorts – are put on sale online, for a period of time. limited. The production of parts is only started once the orders have been entered. “We created the brand by offering only one piece, a t-shirt, made from a single material, in recycled cotton jersey. We wanted our production to have a slight impact on the planet. Pre-ordering allows us to do this because it is a way of anticipating our sales, and thus not to overproduce ”, explains Charlotte Dereux.
Reducing its environmental impact is one of the main reasons put forward by the creators attracted by this system. “ We have chosen this path in particular in reaction to the current pace of fashion which is always going faster, pushing to produce and consume more and more ”, explains Adrien Garcia, who created Reunited in 2019 with two friends. Passed by the creation studios of the Celine houses or Balenciaga, they were at the heart of this system of unbridled overproduction. By taking its time, one product after another, the brand has created a wardrobe of essential pieces for the female wardrobe. The good thick-knit winter sweater, a Milano stitch cardigan, perfectly cut thick jeans, a sleek silver bracelet …
Particularly active on Instagram, these new labels are also taking advantage of their growing communities to take the pulse of the desires of the moment: “ We imagine the parts in co-creation with our customers. We submit a questionnaire to them before each new launch. What material do you want? For what use? “, adds Adrien Garcia. On average, Réuni wins 300 orders during its successive product launches.
“Ready in ten days”
The community sometimes participates directly in the birth of these newcomers to the fashion landscape, in particular through fundraising on specialized participatory platforms. Frenchman Ulule notes that in 2020, 454 “fashion and leather goods” projects were launched through their site, with an average of € 7,144 collected each time. Another significant advantage for a young brand, not to advance costs: “ We pay our suppliers with the money from our orders “, underlines Charlotte Dereux. The prices are not much higher than those on the market. The “Brenda” jeans by Patine cost € 130.
Franco-Italian designer Constance Ponti, who launched her functional and minimalist leather goods brand Object Particolare in 2018, has chosen to produce her bags one after the other. “ I start production in our workshop in Veneto one order after another. Thus, each craftsman is dedicated to only one bag at a time. This one is numbered, therefore unique and ready in ten days “, she explains.
Accustomed to consuming a fashion available immediately, is not waiting a brake for customers? “ We notice that people are ready to wait. It may take up to four months for our parts to be produced, but that’s okay. There is a real desire to better control your consumption ”, Adrien Garcia analysis.
For Pierre-François Le Louët, President of the French Federation of Women’s Ready-to-Wear, made-to-order fashion fits perfectly with the times: “ It is a virtuous system, which is developing more and more in recent years with young designers and which makes it possible in particular to eliminate stocks. Many big brands have been singled out in recent years for destroying their unsold items. Laws are currently in place to prevent this. In addition, emerging brands often do not have the infrastructure to accommodate their production upstream. “ A reasonable and reasoned fashion that ticks all the boxes in the next world?