Gary Pinagot, KEDGE graduate, takes over the digital...
Béryl, a KEDGE graduate, is launching her high-end, eco-friendly swimwear brand: b(e). swimwear
b(e). swimwear, the high-end, eco-responsible, made-in-France women's swimwear brand based in Perpignan created by a graduate!
🇫🇷 The made in France at the service of the environment and self-acceptance.
Swimsuits, yes, but not only!
It is with a production 100% national, recycled and certified fabrics and unique prints handmade by the founder, Beryl Bouvier, that b(e).swimwear wishes to impose itself on the market of high-end and eco-friendly swimwear.
The project started with a simple observation: 5 to 10% of global CO2 emissions are generated by the fashion industry.
Relocated production, fast fashion, use of highly toxic chemicals, deplorable working conditions: so many ecological and ethical factors that require a real questioning.
So why not try to do better by creating a brand based on respect for the planet and for people?
In addition to the ecological and ethical dimension of the project, there is also the notion of self-acceptance and self-love. The mission of b(e).swimwear is not to create complexes.
They are therefore "real" women, of different ages, morphologies and origins who pass in front of the photographer's lens. No body is retouched. Each swimsuit is thought to adapt to different morphologies and the range of sizes is large: from 34 to 48 for this first collection.
💼The impact of KEDGE in the development of your project?
Above all, KEDGE has brought me encounters. My participation in a humanitarian trip to Brazil organized by a KEDGE association echoed a similar experience with a Beauty Success manager (Bordeaux) in charge of recruiting her future intern.
My profile caught her attention and after an interview with her, she decided to trust me for my very first professional experience as an Assistant Product Manager in marketing development.
Six months later, after this first experience, I left for a second internship of 6 months at Cartier in Mexico, this time in operational marketing.
🤝The meeting that changed everything
Back at KEDGE for my master 2, I met Jonas Holmqvist. He is now my professor in Luxury Marketing and thesis tutor. Thanks to this meeting, I had the chance to participate to the InsideLVMH contest which was an additional asset during my application at Christian Dior Couture in Paris. I was recruited as an e-Merchandiser on a permanent basis, following my end-of-studies internship in Digital Content.
Thanks to this professor, I was also able to intervene several times during his courses at KEDGE for Luxury x Digital sessions.
I also had the opportunity to speak at a seminar for a Finnish company on the theme of "Luxury x e-Commerce".
✍️L the origin of b(e).swimwear
b(e). swimwear was born out of a troubled period, following a burn-out. I wanted to change my life, to leave Paris and to do something that would let my creativity speak for itself. Artistic activities having been essential in my mental and physical recovery, I felt that I needed to include this dimension in my daily life.
Having grown up by the water, the idea of bathing suits came to me quite naturally. The idea of associating these swimsuits with the drawings I was making was only the next logical step. It is then, from August 2021, that I started to think seriously about the project: to build a business plan, to weigh the pros and cons, to interview entrepreneurs.
Having worked for several years in French luxury brands, I mastered marketing and ecommerce but not the styling. So I decided to train myself online to the basics of this new profession. In April 2022, the company is created and the serious things begin.
🚀Entreprendre, un métier de passion
My current job is actually several, since I do almost everything by myself. Styling, design and creation of patterns, exchanges with the workshop, research and relationship with suppliers, realization and management of the website, communication, logistics, shipping, after-sales service, administration, art direction and even photo modeling, I really go through all the links in the chain, from the initial idea to the shipping of the package to the customer.I really go through all the links of the chain, from the initial idea to the sending of the package to the customer.
In order to help me in the realization of my project, I was lucky enough to be able to surround myself with partners solid and conscientious (workshop, suppliers, photographer, accountant...) in whom I have total confidence.
The support of my family and friends is also essential, it is also thanks to them that b(e).swimwear is flourishing today.
✨What about the future?
From the second collection, the objective is to develop swimsuits compatible with the wearing of breast prostheses, particularly for women who have undergone a mastectomy. The idea is to be able to launch these swimsuits in pre-orders in September/October 2023, at the time of Pink October.
The ready-to-wear line will also be added to the swimwear lines for summer 2024. In the longer term, a children's and men's line will be launched. The goal is to focus on the French market before growing in Europe and why not in the United States.
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Patrick CONSORTI (EUROMED Programme Grande Ecole / ESC, 1975) 12 February 2023 à 21h48
Go for it!