NEOMA develops its students’ taste for entrepreneurship. Some of them join the School’s incubator to set up their project. We have devoted a series to them entitled “Graduates incubate”. Episode three: focus on the start-ups that are launching themselves on the fashion market.

 DATE FEVER

I am.. Louis Rosenthal – GBBA 4 Reims campus      

My business

Date Fever is a ready-to-wear streetwear brand that I created in 2022 with a classmate. We wanted to work with French artisans. Our strategy from the start was to create an entire universe around our brand so it was visible to future consumers. Adding provocative, cheeky and humorous aspects to our products was our distinctive trait.

We also wanted to promote interactions between young people, particularly when they were out for the evening, at the beach or at the bar, through our clothes, which would be a conversation starter. It was a wager made on a lot of customer feedback.

After one year of sales only through our online shop, we are now found in four multi-brand shops with an upcoming entry into the Printemps store.

The positives of my time in the incubator

Incubation was a major challenge for me. I wanted to develop in an ecosystem of creative entrepreneurs, share ideas and learn along with the other people in the incubator.

The coaching offered by the incubator’s manager is also a major part of incubation. It provides an outside view of your project and it helps you structure yourself in your development (a stage that entrepreneurs often overlook).

Being able to benefit from experience and take advantage of the network of all the others in the incubator is a huge bonus. We were fully involved in creating our business and we needed to quickly find customers, set up marketing strategies and create a website, for example.

My entrepreneur advice

Don’t wait. Don’t wait to finish your studies (but complete them of course) and don’t be scared to start while still taking courses. The NEOMA professors can also offer good advice.

Then, set up the right people around you. Don’t start a business with just any partner under the pretext that they’re your friend. You need to have faith in your partners and your project.

Don’t be scared of starting out alone. Other incubated entrepreneurs and coaches are there to help. Lastly, contact some of the incubator entrepreneurs. They will be happy to share their experiences.

< Disclothed >

I am … Cécilia HOLLENDER 2018 MiM Programme graduate – NEOMA BS – Reims.  Specialised in marketing and entrepreneurship

My business

The ready-to-sew < Disclothed > Paris clothing brand offers sewing kits that come with everything you need to create clothing with high-quality materials on your own: the pattern, the fabrics (from idle inventory found at major luxury houses) and haberdashery (thread, buttons). For each model (arranged by level of difficulty), a video tutorial guides the customer step by step through each stage of tailoring.

Who is it for? Any person (men and women) who loves fashion but:

– doesn’t have the resources to buy luxury brands

– feels guilty about continuing to buy fast fashion

– isn’t happy with the style found in the collections of eco-friendly brands (too classic/basic)

– wants to work again with their hands and be proud to learn to do things for themselves

The positives of my time in the NEOMA start-up lab

The offices, an inspiring ecosystem, a network of entrepreneurs, expert advice, support, individual coaching, and especially the moral support when you need it.

My entrepreneur advice

GET STARTED! Don’t wait to gain experience or work first in a company. Entrepreneurship is the best school. Always listen to advice by have self-confidence. Don’t be afraid of failure. “We put our entire life into succeeding from one day to the next,” Coluche said.

SOLD OUT

I am … 

Jean-Maxime GUEDEL

MiM in Finance, Auditing and Management (2014)

My business

With SOLD OUT, you can pre-reserve your pair of shoes before they even come out. I am a sneaker fan. Who is it for? For Hypebeasts, meaning people who love sneakers and streetwear brands and clothes.         

The positives of my time in the NEOMA start-up lab

It was the perfect place to work. It was calm enough to be able to work but bustling enough to be able to talk with other entrepreneurs.

My advice as an entrepreneur (and manager of the NEOMA Start-up Lab)

The best way to know if you are made to be an entrepreneur is to do it.

Click & Recycle

I am… Charlotte Sarrazin. Third-year TEMA student

My business   

Click & Recycle, I collect unsold clothing from independent shops to limit clothing waste and promote the circular economy. It’s sustainable fashion.

The positives of the incubator

The help I received, the good advice and the support of Jean Maxime who always pushed us to strive further because you can always do better!

My entrepreneur advice

Get started without needing to ask yourself a million questions because it’s only by doing that you learn. And above all, don’t put up obstacles in front of yourself!