How does a woman develop, experience and pass on her femininity? Femininity and disability: lingerie for everyone.

How does a woman develop, experience and pass on her femininity? That is an issue we are passionate about at La Nouvelle. Murielle is the mother of two daughters, Mathilde, 17, who has a disability, and Louise, 12. She is guiding them lovingly along the path to womanhood. Let us meet them.

A mother of three, Murielle is always on the lookout for ways to support her daughters through the awkward teenage years and make everyday life easier for Mathilde, whose motor skills are impaired, with easy-to-wear underwear. As someone who was won over by the softness, choice of colours and prints and little lurex details of our lingerie, Murielle, for whom femininity goes hand in hand with comfort, was quick to pass it on to her girls: “I tell my daughters that a woman must be as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. That means choosing comfortable lingerie that makes you feel good about yourself and gives you self-confidence,” she tells us.

Louise chose her first bras and underwear from the Teens range, which she found appealing and easy to wear: “I think they’re pretty and comfortable. And above all, they’re not itchy!”. Mathilde, who is unable to fasten a conventional bra on her own, turned to our fastener-free designs. Her favourites are the Peppa comfort bra, which she matches with Emma briefs, and the Loulou swimsuit. These garments are easy to put on and have given her greater independence, just like our period panties, which are easy to change and highly absorbent, making it easier when she got her first period. “Mathilde found it hard to deal with her periods. Period panties have been a godsend. I don’t know what we’d have done without them!” says Murielle, adding: “Finding inclusive underwear is not easy. Many mothers have to face this difficulty on a daily basis”.

Being able to meet her daughter’s specific needs without making her feel different is therefore a big win: “Of course, La Nouvelle lingerie has not been designed specifically for young girls or women with disabilities, but it has no trouble addressing the problems they face. It allows for disabilities and is yet very mainstream! And that’s brilliant!”. Mathilde, who loves the golden straps, agrees. Wearing the same lingerie as her sister or mother makes her feel she is “like everyone else”.
Murielle concludes: “La Nouvelle is the only brand all three of us can use. We’re so happy to share that together.”
For our part, we are extremely touched by this family story.

FOCUS

We wanted to mention and support the Atelier M Danse where Mathilde attends weekly disability dance classes. The organisation founded by Marlène Chitan-Rougeyron and based in central France is recognised as being in the public interest and helps people with disabilities to become more aware of their bodies and develop their cognitive skills as they enjoy an adapted physical activity.