Want to become leading brand in accessible luxury lingerie
Lingerie brand Simone Pérèle was established in 1948 in Paris by a talented and passionate corset maker. Fibre2Fashion spoke to Stephanie Perele, Director of the brand, to discover the success story of the brand through the years, its major strengths, and trends seen in the lingerie market as the world evolves from the Covid pandemic.
What does the Simone Perele brand represent and what is the main inspiration behind success of your brand?
Simone Pérèle was created by my grandmother over 70 years ago. Our point of differentiation is to find the right balance between French style and our expertise in tailoring. My grandmother already understood in the 50s that women did not have to choose between comfort and style, they can, and should, have both.
Which are the developing and emerging countries in your radar which you want to explore?
Simone Perele is already present in more than 65 countries through different distribution channels. It’s been challenging couple of years for the fashion industry, so at the moment we are focusing on rebuilding some of our distribution networks that have struggled due to lockdowns and linked challenges such as haulage etc.
How do you plan to achieve your sustainability and circularity goals?
This year we launched the Simone Cares programme, which supports Simone Pérèle's social and environmental commitments. We have three main areas of development--the environment, the place of women in the world and products.
What is the market size of the brand? Which are your major markets?
Simone Pérèle is one of the most important lingerie brands in the accessible luxury segment. We are above all a French brand, with a strong international presence. Our first market is France, and we are mainly present in Europe, North America, Australia and the Middle East.
How does your supply chain network work? What regions of the world are part of your supply chain?
We are fortunate to control our entire supply chain. Thus, we create and develop all our products in France. We have our own manufacturing plants (in Tunisia and Madagascar) which allows us to manage the quality of our products. Finally, all our products are shipped all over the world from our logistics centre in France.
The 'quarantine style' — was a fashion force to be reckoned with during COVID-19 last year and still continuing as the world reels under the pandemic. What changes in lingerie styles were observed as such?
During the entire health crisis period, we saw a real demand for products more oriented towards comfort--nightwear, loungewear, soft bras, more natural materials...
On the other hand, since the recovery, the demand for seductive products is coming back (delicate lace, more fashionable colours). As we re-emerge from the lockdown, people want to feel stylish and glamorous again. At the same time, they are not keen to let go of comfort. Women now want both comfort and style from their underwear. As offering the perfect blend of comfort and style has always been part of our philosophy, Simone Pérèle is in a good place to satisfy both needs and we are constantly designing and innovating to ensure we continue to address these consumer demands.
Do you see increase in ‘Made in America’ and near-shoring manufacturing increasing especially in lingerie and swimwear categories?
We have always favoured sourcing close to our manufacturing sites, so this is not a major change for us.
What is the USP of your products?
From the moment my grandmother founded the brand, Simone Pérèle has always been about empowering women. Accessibility and inclusivity is key. We offer unrivalled craftsmanship, luxury and range at affordable prices. Every woman should feel special, so we offer a range of styles and sizes to suit real women, today. Not every luxury French lingerie house can make this claim!
What major styles can we expect to see in lingerie in terms of colours, fabrics, patterns, trims & accessories etc this winter?
This winter, we want to celebrate a return to an almost normal life. For this FW21 collection, and as illustrated with this season’s range shots, the Simone Pérèle woman is having fun, dancing, laughing, in a cool, 70s setting. The laces are graphic, the embroidery sophisticated and glamorous. Colours range from red and pink shades to intriguing night blues and precious, jewel greens. We used some neutral tones to illuminate the range and there’s a touch of gold to add opulence to the range. The plunging shapes are always there, whether they are underwired or not. The bodysuit makes its comeback and is played with over and under.
What plans do you have for the future? How do you see your brand growing in the next few years?
We want to become the leading brand in accessible luxury lingerie. Our commercial development will mainly be done on the digital network, while keeping our historical distribution channels such as multi-brand retailers or department stores. Our main strength is to be able to serve all these different distribution channels with the same quality of execution.
What are the technicalities involved in making the perfectly sized lingerie for people of various body types and sizes? How many sizes do you retail? Do you make customised lingerie?
We cover a wide range of sizes, from A to H cups, from 80 to 115 back (French sizes). The difficulty of our job is in the millimetre. Indeed, there is only 3mm difference from one size to another. So we can almost call it custom-made! The style or cut is important too – not all styles suit everyone’s shape. We offer a wide range of styles – from plunge, to balcony, full cup and more, in a wide range of sizes, giving women much more choice than they may otherwise have.
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