Even if you’ve never heard of the Paris-based luxury label Elleme, you’ve likely seen the Baozi (the Chinese word for “dumpling”) bag on influencers like Tiffany Hsu or the Vague bag on celebrities like Beyoncé
Jingjing Fan founded Elleme (derived from the French phrase “elle aime”, meaning “she likes”) in 2015, and the label has since gone from strength to strength—it’s now stocked at more than 65 stores around the world, including Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. Fan recently launched Elleme’s first ready-to-wear collection for fall-winter 2021.
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How did you first realise you wanted to work in fashion?
My background is in political science, but right after my graduation from the Paris Institute of Political Studies, I was at a point in my life when I was asking myself what I wanted to do and discovered that fashion was what made me happy. It’s the best feeling to be able to create products that people love, and I enjoy the whole process, from the challenges and struggles to the successes.
What was the first roadblock you had to overcome?
Definitely finding the right partners to bring my creations to life and at the quality I required. During my first collection, we didn’t have the quantities to make it worthwhile for the factories to produce our products, so I had to convince them to take me on based on the vision and potential I had. My husband and I drove across 11 provinces in Italy in search of a manufacturing partner. At some point we got lost and asked for directions from a gentleman named Francesco at a gas station, who happened to be the owner of a factory. Up to this day, he is one of our most trusted manufacturing partners.
What was your first job and what was the experience like?
I do not have a formative education in fashion. I was self-taught, from drawing to pattern making, so it was all trial and error for me. My process is very hands-on, with lots of physical adjustments on the samples and mock-ups. I always design with the end-user in mind, imagining how they would feel and look with our products.
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