Behind the scenes at La Nouvelle Meet Cécile, Lola and Carole – La Nouvelle’s production team

Today, we take you behind the scenes to show you how your favourite La Nouvelle pieces are made.

Can you tell us about the different steps involved in creating a collection?

The very first step is to visualise the pieces you’re going to be creating. This is the role of the Styling team, which is made up of Alix, Natacha and Mélodie. They are responsible for the inspiration phase, making sketches, designing prints, sourcing materials and choosing colours. Then Lola, our pattern maker, brings the clothes to life and makes prototypes for the collection. We create custom designs, which means that all our patterns are made in-house. This is a very important aspect of what we do at La Nouvelle, and it’s part of what makes us unique. After these initial steps are complete, it’s over to us to produce the collection.

Who and what makes up your production team?

Our team is made up of Lola, our Pattern Maker, who is also responsible for quality and for the technical files that we hand over to our manufacturers. Then there is Cécile, our Production Manager; and Carole, who is a Production Assistant and Pattern Maker. We are a 100% female team!

What is the role of your team when it comes to developing a collection?

At a stage that we call “Handover”, the Styling team provides us with all the information about the work they have done on the collection. The technical constraints for producing each style are then reviewed, and we make a collective decision about what is feasible. After that, there is what we call the “Development” stage, during which Lola and Carole draw up technical files for our manufacturers to work with. Then comes the Sourcing stage, which is managed by Cécile. This consists of dividing up the quantities per factory, and purchasing the fabrics and all the accessories needed to make each piece. Cécile also works with the founders, Alix and Aurélie, to determine the volumes that will be produced for each style, and to dispatch the fabrics and accessories to each factory. It can be a real brain-teaser at times, but it’s an essential step to ensure we don’t end up with too much stock!

How do you select all these suppliers?

We have several criteria that we keep in mind: their craftsmanship and expertise, their geographical location, and their commitment to being sustainable and environmentally friendly. And of course, it’s also about the people! All our pieces are manufactured around the Mediterranean Sea, in Morocco, Tunisia, Portugal and Turkey. Some of our suppliers have been with us since the beginning, and we evolve together, especially when it comes to CSR issues. There is a real trust there. They are our partners. When it comes to fabrics, we’re also guided by our commitment to sustainability, and of course we make sure to choose fabrics that are both comfortable and durable. All our fabrics are now Oeko-Tex certified and a large proportion of them are recycled, as well as GRS (Global Recycle Standard) certified.

How many La Nouvelle collections do you produce a year?

We have two lingerie collections a year. The Autumn/Winter collection, which we’re currently working on, and the Spring/Summer collection. In addition to these collections, we also do collaborations. Plus there are the Kids and Teens lines, swimwear, fashion and sportswear. Not to mention our period panties. This is our latest innovation, which we’re incredibly proud of!

What does the La Nouvelle woman mean to each of you?

Cécile: For me, the La Nouvelle woman represents all women! For me, it’s about tasteful lingerie that encourages women to be their natural selves. It’s feminine without being vulgar. It’s retro and modern at the same time and, above all, it’s very comfortable.

Carole: Exactly. It’s lingerie that’s feminine, elegant and comfortable... For me, Jane Birkin is the perfect embodiment of the La Nouvelle woman.

Lola: La Nouvelle lingerie is not just for one woman. It’s really for every woman. And the idea of comfort is very much a fundamental one. We create pieces in which you can live life and have fun.