• A young designer from Lille launches Napperon, an up-cycled lingerie brand.

  • The raw material used are doilies, embroidered tablecloths and curtains.

  • Each piece is unique, semi-made to measure on demand.

From dressers to sexy panties.

There are analogies that cannot be contemplated, and Julie Debove's business postulate is one of them.

Imagining the doilies adorning the furniture of our grandmothers transformed into glamorous lingerie seems difficult.

And yet, this is the bet that the young designer from Lille has succeeded through her brand, Napperon.

Upcycling is in the era of time and we have seen the emergence of a number of initiatives in this direction: making earrings from old vinyl records, boxer shorts sewn into old curtains, rubber tires. used bikes transformed into belts… And in the series nothing is lost, everything is transformed, Julie Debove has set her sights on doilies, embroidered tablecloths and various curtains that have fallen into disuse.

“I don't even know how I got this idea.

At first, I just wanted to make my own lingerie, ”explains the 25-year-old.

"Producing on demand is also an eco-responsible gesture"

Her school career in communication is 1,000 places from what she envisions today. “I wanted to change, to do something with my hands in accordance with this eco-responsible side that drives me,” she continues. Unable to sew underwear, which are particularly difficult to make, Julie entrusted the production part to a model seamstress. The raw material, against all expectations, is not lacking: "I get a lot from Emmaüs and a recycling center in Pas-de-Calais which found me 80 kg of placemats, enough to last a year", assures the young wife.

And as each doily is unique, so is each piece of lingerie: “I can't and don't want to make big series.

Producing on demand is also an eco-responsible gesture, ”insists Julie.

The models offered are simple, it is the patterns of the doilies that make all the originality.

"The embroidery is fine and resistant and it is also very pleasant to wear", assures the designer.

"I already have some pre-orders for men"

The “semi-made-to-measure” production also allows clients to have lingerie adapted to their morphology.

All for a reasonable price: from 39 to 45 euros for a panty and from 54 to 59 euros for a bra.

In its catalog, Napperon also offers "mixed panties", for boys assuming their share of femininity.

“I already have a few pre-orders of men for this model,” enthuses Julie.

Her creations will be presented on Thursday in a shop in Biarritz, where the young woman settled at the end of July.

The crowdfunding campaign, which has met with great success, should allow Napperon to develop, in particular by publishing a website in October.

Economy

Fashion: The Kering group renounces fur for all its brands

Style

Fashion: Are slim jeans living their last hours?

(next comeback in ten years)

  • Lingerie

  • Recycling

  • Lille