"With Atelier Loden, I wanted to make a meaningful coat"

October 26, 2021 Ludmilla Intravaia

Bastien Hullessen, founder of Atelier Loden, January 27, 2021, in Paris (© Lionel Samain for Le Boudoir Numérique 2021)

1/2 - How to launch your brand, when you are a young fashion designer? Bastien Hullessen, founder of Atelier Loden, a brand of customizable coats made in France, shares his experience with Le Boudoir Numérique, from his first pre-order campaign through crowdfunding, to his relationship with his community, his digital marketing approach and his choice of sustainable materials.

By Ludmilla Intravaia

Le Boudoir Numérique: On the presentation page of your customizable loden coats project, you mention your “quest for the ideal coat”. Are you particulary sensible to cold?

Bastien Hullessen, founder of Atelier Loden: Not particularly, but I've been interested in fashion for years. My mother and grandmother being seamstresses, I started sewing pants, jackets, at the age of seven. I particularly like coats and long jackets, but I never really find what I am looking for, neither in ready-to-wear nor in designers collections. This is how I had the idea to make myself a coat that is meaningful, not yet another product, made on the other side of the world, which would add to a fashion that already pollutes too much. A coat produced in France, from local materials. Before starting, I studied the market to analyze the brands who propose coats in France.

What did you learn from this market research?

First of all, that a large part of the coats were generally made in Asia and many of them were made of synthetic materials. This second point can be explained by specific material rendering necessities, when the brand uses a low percentage of polyamide, for example. On the other hand, when coats worth several hundred euros contain 30 to 40% petroleum-derived polyester, it is clearly to reduce costs. Third observation: the lack of transparency, especially on the internet. The brands give very little information about their coats, especially where the wool comes from, and I'm not even talking about the rest of the materials. This is why I wanted to push the concept of transparency further.

How?

By informing the customer very precisely about the origin of the materials, the companies with which I work, the production costs, the motivations for my choices and everything that has happened since Atelier Loden was born. Many brands, including those that use crowdfunding, practice this transparency that I fully support, even though I understand that a company that has to release several collections per year finds it difficult to do, due to lack of time. For my part, the content of my sale page is very long, I explain my approach, all the information that justifies the price of my coat, etc. It took me months to develop it, especially since I also had to analyze over 2000 responses to the questionnaire I sent to my community.

How has this questionnaire been useful to you?

First of all, it allowed me to understand a little more the expectations of my potential clients. This is something that is done more and more, especially when a new brand is launched: to ask the opinion of its community, what it expects, what are its issues, etc. Thus, thanks to the questionnaire, I was able to pick the main colors of my wool in the large catalog of my partner, the French draper Jules Tournier. If I had already chosen the concept of customizable unisex loden coats, according to 10 characteristics, such as the type of collar, length, shoulders, pockets, etc., I realized that some women wanted interior pockets or that details I hadn't thought of, like an inside zip pocket so you don't lose your phone, would be welcome. I studied each response to incorporate this feedback directly into my design.

Tell us about your materials ... Did you want them to be environmentally friendly?

Atelier Loden's coat is 100% wool, a renewable natural fiber. The lining is in Lyocell, obtained from wood pulp, harvested without destroying the tree, nor causing deforestation. This eco-friendly material is as soft and strong as silk. Today, it is used more for blouses and dresses but not for linings, because it is more expensive than viscose, the development of which results from the use of non-recoverable and polluting carbon disulfide. Obviously, Lyocell comes at a cost, but I preferred to do it right and cut back on my margin, rather than opt for materials that are harmful to the planet. As for the buttons, they are made in Galalith, also called Milk Stone, obtained from casein, recycled from the milk industry. I am happy to have set my sights on this strong material which, unlike horn which constitutes the majority of coat buttons, has not traveled thousands of kilometers, coming from South America, Asia or from Africa.

You have opted for the pre-order system. Why?

My first pre-order campaign, launched on October 19, 2020, took place on the crowdfunding platform Ulule, a trusted third party with whom I sold my coats. Indeed, due to my concept of personalized coats, it was impossible for me to predict in advance which model to produce. This allowed me to test my market without having to advance cash. Each coat costs me 350 euros to produce. If I had had to make 100 coats in advance, for example, I would have had to spend 35,000 euros, before even know if I have enough customers to buy them. And if I hadn't sold them, I would have been obliged to sell them at a lower price. With the pre-order system, one only manufactures what has been ordered, which is financially interesting. It is also important for the respect of the environment because one avoids overproduction. It is often said that people are in a hurry, that they want their order for the next day, while delivery of a pre-order product can take time, from one to three months, or even much longer, depending on the complexity of the products. And yet, my clients are there. For me, pre-ordering is a system that is going to grow more and more in the future, even with established brands.

* Atelier Loden's second pre-order campaign is open until October 31, 2021. More info on the French brand's website here.

* Read the second part of Bastien Hullessen’s interview on Le Boudoir Numérique : "Atelier Loden coats are intended for the greatest number, not the elite".

Bastien Hullessen, founder of Atelier Loden, January 27, 2021, in Paris (© Lionel Samain for Le Boudoir Numérique 2021)

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