Today on Where Ideas Launch, I have Fanny Rousseau joining us. She's a French "slow fashion" designer based in Brussels. Through her clothing brand, Trousseau, she empowers women to feel beautiful, safe and free in their clothes. She advocates for inclusivity by offering a large-size range, and custom sizing. She also helps other brands define their aesthetics and have a better relationship with the environment. Fanny, welcome to the show.
The garment industry contributes over 10% of the annual greenhouse emissions and 20% of wastewater worldwide from textile dyeing and treatment. With its significant impact to the environment, the industry will have to reinvent itself and reform its resource-heavy supply chain.
As consumers, our collective behaviour and the choices we make towards our clothing are important in reshaping the industry.
In this episode, we talked to Brussel-based "slow fashion" designer and clothing brand owner, Fanny Rousseau. Fanny gives us a fresh insight into the inherent value that clothes bring to the person wearing them, the energy and the careful thought that is put into making each piece, and reasons why we should choose a "slow fashion" wardrobe over fast fashion products that pollute the earth.
Key Points:
Fanny Rousseau 0:55
Hi. Thank you for having me.
Katherine Ann Byam 0:57
What inspired you to start Trousseau?
Fanny Rousseau 1:00
I'm a trained fashion designer. So I went to school both in France and in Belgium to learn about how to make clothes. So I learned how to make good fashion culture. And then I went to Belgium to learn about the more ready-to-wear side of things. And during this part of my education, I learned everything that was wrong with the industry. And so I really did not want it to be part of that and I wanted to stay in Belgium. Belgium is a really small country and there's not a lot of job opportunities. So I thought why not make my own. So at 24 I decided to launch Trousseau which was a big hairy jump, because I just graduated. So I did not have a lot of experience. But I was really into learning and growing along the way. And also, I had this really specific experience because I am short, and I have a body that is not normal. So I do not have anything that really suited me. I always hated my body when I wore clothes but not when I am naked. I love my body when I am naked. When I wore clothes, I didn't really like my body. And I feel like a lot of women have this. So that's why I wanted to do made-to-measure so everyone could wear the clothes that fit them the best.
Katherine Ann Byam 2:30
Yeah. I think that's really a powerful statement because there's so much wrapped up in women's identity and their confidence and their ability to stand up for what they believe in. So much of it is wrapped up in how they look or how they think they're perceived.
Fanny Rousseau 2:47
Yeah, in the end that's the first thing everyone sees either in real life or in social media and stuff like that. Clothes are really important part of who we are and how we make the world see us. I read a book once that said that it is an armour that we put on us in order to protect us from everything that's outside, both physically and mentally. Of course, clothes keep us warm. That's something that clothes do. But also, they help us mentally to protect ourselves. Like if I have a big meeting or an important thing to do, I love to wear something that makes me feel powerful. So I know that I can go through it and be perceived as someone powerful.
Katherine Ann Byam 3:39
It's interesting because you actually made an outfit for me that I wore to the biggest speaking event that I’ve ever spoken on. And I remember the top had wings. And I remember being on the stage thinking I'm flying in my wings. And I remember feeling this sense of incredible euphoria and comfort in what I was wearing, how I was appearing, and how I was commanding the stage. Even though like you know when you're in this kind of intense sort of situation and the nerves can overawe you. But I remember feeling completely confident. And I think that a lot of that was about how I felt about the clothes. It was also about the energy you put into making that piece of clothing for me. So that's such a big part of working with a designer to really fit you.
Fanny Rousseau 4:31
I really like to connect with people that I make good clothes for. Mostly when I do customs like the one I made for you. And I put a lot of good energy in the clothes that I make because for me making dresses is kind of therapeutic. So that's something that I learned about myself. This is what I like to do when I'm feeling down. And I try to make people feel as good as possible inside of my clothes because I tried to make everything good in me inside of them. And I had a few people tell me that the clothes that they bought from me were really like what they needed to go out on. So there's one lady who bought one of my sweatshirts. And it's really soft on the inside and maybe like a blanket. And she sent me a text, saying that she was feeling down because she had COVID. And she felt really depressed after that because she had a really hard time. And the first time that she went out was with my sweatshirt. And it toned down her anxiety because she had a lot of anxiety from going out and maybe getting COVID back or something like that. So it was really important for me that she told me that because it's exactly what I want. It's the same with your experience.
Katherine Ann Byam 5:59
So which of the Sustainable Development Goals guide your business values.
Fanny Rousseau 6:04
So I think I'm trying to be as human-friendly as possible, also planet-friendly like I don't have any bolts. So I make everything to order. Every fabric that I use is either organic cotton or organic hemp which I try to use as much as I can. I also use recycled polyester but I try to avoid it as much as I can. Because I don't think it's really good for the environment because they have small plastic particles that go in the washing machine and then in the water and everything. But that's something that I try to do. And then humanly, I try to make it as ethical as possible. I try to track every fabric that I can find and know as much as I can about where they come from down to the fiber. It's really hard to do that when you're a small company but I try to do it as much as I can. I'm very transparent about it. When I don't know, I say “I don't know.” Then I make everything myself so there's no overseas labor. I think that's what I have in the goals.
Katherine Ann Byam 7:22
What challenges has the pandemic brought for small fashion shops such as yours, and how have you responded?
Fanny Rousseau 7:29
So I started in February 2020, about two weeks before the first lockdown. I had a lot of fairs planned. I was invited to some sustainable or slow fashion events both in Belgium and France. Everything was almost planned for May, June, and July. I had a lot of these that were planned and did not happen due to the pandemic. And so that's something that did not help me grow in the beginning because I only had Instagram to grow my business. And that's not something that was really easy. So I decided to have a place to work at so people can come and see. And that's how I opened the shop in Brussels in September, and then the second lockdown happened so that's something else, then that's the side that affected the work mostly and money as well like everyone else. And then I felt really alone in my business because I was working alone. And I could not meet any other people that work alone, or even go to meetings with other female entrepreneurs or stuff like that. I know these meetings happen usually during the year. That was something that was kind of hard. So I need to find people that have the same kind of business journey in life. And that's how I found your group on Facebook.
Katherine Ann Byam 9:02
What have been sort of your greatest moments in your business since you got started?
Fanny Rousseau 9:07
I think overall feedback from people is my biggest achievement because that's really what I want to do. I want to make people happy. And then I also made a video I think in May about the relationship between mental health and fashion, something that we talked about a little bit and it was really about how designing, wearing, and choosing your clothes can affect your mental health, both from the designer point of view and the consumer point of view. And I have one lady coming to the shop after seeing this video. She told me that she never could find anything to fit her because she is really thin. She took her clothes to be tailored to her size. Because she saw my video and she felt super happy to have clothes that fit her. And she was so thankful to have seen my video about this because that's what made her feel happy. So that's good too and I think also being there still after the pandemic and still having my business growing even though everything was super hard, and still is! And I see that I'm growing even more. I think that's my biggest achievement.
Katherine Ann Byam 10:36
That's really wonderful. I just love for you to share your feedback on your experiences working with us in the Women in Sustainable Business group and in the Eco-Business Group Club and some of the things that you would recommend about the two communities.
Fanny Rousseau 10:52
I joined Women in Sustainable Businesses I think in January just at the beginning, and you were doing a little challenge. That was really fun. I really enjoyed doing this. And I think the community has grown a lot since then. But then it was really about talking together. And it was really nice. And in the Eco Business Growth Club, I met really really nice people from all over the world, mostly in the UK. And the content is really interesting. And I learned a lot. And the experts are always super interesting. I couldn't be happier about being in this group. Thank you.
Katherine Ann Byam 11:41
What recommendations do you have to slow fashion brands getting started today?
Fanny Rousseau 11:45
I'd say don't be afraid that there's a big community. Bigger than just being alone in business, join a community because we share the same values. Don't be afraid. It's scary but it's nice.
Katherine Ann Byam 12:02
Where can my listeners find your products and your design-for-you services?
Fanny Rousseau 12:08
So you can find my products on trousseau.net, my website, where everything is there. You can also send me an email. If you want any customization or any product that you have in mind, you can send me an email through the contact form on the website. And then you can also find me on Instagram @ftrousseau which is where I share a lot of pictures behind the scenes of what I do.
Katherine Ann Byam 12:37
Perfect. Thanks so much money for joining us today. It's been a pleasure chatting with you.
Fanny Rousseau 12:42
Thank you for having me.
Katherine Ann Byam 12:46
This episode was brought to you today by the Eco business growth Club by Katherine Ann Byam and by the space where ideas launch, the Eco business Growth lub supports positive impact SMEs with coaching new health and community support toward achieving the impact and reach they set out to meet. You can find out more by connecting with where ideas launch on Instagram or following the hashtag where it is launched across all of your social media.