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LE MAGAZINE HEIMSTONE +

OPINION | 05.04. 2023

NOT JUST A PRETTY PRINT

Determination, Creativity & Cashflow.
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HEIMSTONE.
I want to share with you one of the most intense, restless, and terrifying experiences of my life: entrepreneurship and my journey with Heimstone. I’m often asked how I started, how I got into fashion, and what I was doing before… So, I’ll tell you. But I’m also here to talk about the extraordinary experience and challenge of owning a business and what it has brought me on a personal level. Because yes, Heimstone has revealed who I am.
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CREATIVITY AS A PUNISHMENT

I grew up in a highly creative environment, with opportunities to travel extensively and spend a lot of time in art galleries and museums. My mother is an interior decorator who has always been self-employed, and my father worked in the advertising industry for many years before becoming the CEO of a large international company. Both have recently retired. As a child, I loved drawing, painting, knitting—I was captivated by colors, patterns, and fabrics, far beyond just fashion. School came relatively easily to me without much trouble. My twin sister and I attended a Catholic school in Paris, where blending in and going with the flow was the norm. We stood out, though—not only because we were twins, but because we were exceptionally tall! By our first year of high school, we were already 1.77 meters, towering over everyone, wearing size 41 shoes, and sporting blue shirts that marked us as first-years. I dreaded the start of each school year, worried that parents would think we were the two “big girls” who had repeated a grade. Throughout my school years, I felt it was best to keep a low profile. Being discreet came more naturally to me than to Caroline, who was much more outspoken.

A funny anecdote: Caroline was expelled in our fourth year after a teacher said, “After the rain comes fine weather,” and she, true to form, retorted, “Uh, no, not necessarily!” She insisted on her point—rightfully so—and three days later, she was expelled for insolence. After that, I became even more reserved, trying not to attract attention. This was when I really began to draw; it was my way of staying quietly engaged during class. Ironically, it eventually led to my own expulsion, with the clear reason given: “Spends more time drawing than listening to teachers.” Academically, I didn’t stand out, maintaining a modest average of 12, but I was always quietly sketching. What’s interesting is that my first real engagement with art and creativity was seen as a form of punishment—it wasn’t easy. After finishing my baccalauréat, I spent a year in a preparatory art class at the Atelier de Sèvres in Paris, as I initially wanted to follow in my mother’s footsteps and pursue a career in interior decoration or architecture, finally a dream that became true with the Casa Kece hous project.
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THE CHRYSALIS AND THE BUTTERFLY

That year in preparatory class was liberating. Everything seemed possible, from small-scale to XXL projects, and the open-ended nature of it all was exhilarating, even dizzying. It was during this time that I truly set myself free and discovered that my interests were veering more towards fashion than architecture. This curiosity led me to apply to both fashion and art schools. I ultimately chose Atelier Chardon-Savard because they accepted my application early, and they had a knitting workshop—a passion that my twin sister Caroline (@threesevenparis) and I had shared since childhood. I spent three years there, always arriving early and leaving late, with only one close friend, Martin. I studied fashion design and garment construction, which fascinated me and helped me understand the technical side of creating clothing. During my studies, I interned in press offices and with designers like Michel Klein, where I got my first job as a knitwear designer after graduating in June 2005. At the time, everything felt clear and straightforward, but starting my career at Michel Klein at just 22, I quickly realized I had a lot to learn about the fashion industry.

When I left fashion school, I realized I hadn’t acquired much practical knowledge beyond pattern-making. The curriculum focused heavily on sketching fashion silhouettes and creating a final-year collection, but I was missing essential skills like cost calculations, supplier negotiations, and production management. Despite this, my time at Atelier Chardon-Savard was valuable, and Michel Klein provided me with a real-world education. I worked across various aspects of the business—from production to creating technical files—and traveled often, including to India for production. At 22, I was eager and motivated, always looking to learn more. I even took advantage of lunch breaks to sit with the company’s graphic designer and learn design software, determined to match his expertise.
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TO BE DRIVEN BY INSTINCT

Après 10 mois passés chez Michel Klein, en mai 2006, j’ai commencé à sentir que je tournais en rond pour diverses raisons. Au fond de moi, je savais qu’il fallait avancer et faire quelque chose de plus grand. J’avais besoin de me tester, de faire un saut dans l’inconnu. Pour être honnête, je ne "l'avais pas besoin", mais je ressentais un fort désir de plonger dans l'inconnu, attirée comme un aimant par ce que je n'avais pas encore découvert. Le lendemain matin, j’ai décidé de lancer une petite collection d'accessoires pour l'été à venir. C’est là que la graine a été plantée. Début juin 2006, j'ai commencé à travailler sur notre collection d'accessoires : colliers et bracelets fabriqués à partir de boulons industriels. Fin juin, ce qui avait commencé comme des accessoires s’était transformé en une collection de maillots de bain, et le 12 juillet, j'ai démissionné de Michel Klein. Début août, je me retrouvais à St-Tropez, libre comme l'air, marchant sur les plages de Pampelonne avec mes maillots de bain "Heim". Je portais des paniers sur les épaules, vendant nos premiers modèles à toutes les filles que je croisais. Notre concept de maillots de bain était innovant : j’avais développé un motif sans couture pour le haut et le bas, les maillots n'avaient besoin que d’être noués. Au lieu de perles, nous utilisions des boulons industriels comme signature. Le plus important, chaque pièce était unique car elles étaient toutes découpées dans des t-shirts vintage XXL "rock", donc quelqu’un pouvait se retrouver avec Michael Jackson ou AC/DC dans le dos.

À la fin de l'été, j'avais vendu plus de 600 pièces et j'ai décidé de lancer officiellement ma marque, cette fois avec un accent prêt-à-porter. Pour nous, c’était clair. Tout semblait évident. Je voulais que la marque se distingue et donne aux filles une raison convaincante de venir chez "Heim". J’ai donc décidé que Heim vendrait exclusivement des robes — des robes pour toutes les occasions : tenue de bureau, tenues du dimanche, robes formelles et décontractées. Rien que des robes, conçues pour être aussi faciles à porter que des jeans, avec des poches. De septembre à décembre 2006, j'ai travaillé sur des créations et j’ai fait des allers-retours en Inde pour produire notre première collection, que j'ai financée avec les bénéfices des ventes de maillots de bain. Mon objectif était d’être prête à présenter notre première collection "Heimstone", automne-hiver 07/08, en janvier 2007 pendant les défilés. Entre-temps, j'ai changé le nom, car je trouvais que "Heim" était trop mignon et féminin, tandis que "Stone" apportait une sensation de solidité et de détermination. J'ai calculé qu’il me fallait vendre 360 robes pour couvrir nos dépenses. Je me souviens encore que j'ai fini par vendre 1 300 articles ! À 22 ans, j'avais l'impression d'être sur la route du succès.

THE SINEWS OF WAR

The success of first season filled us with overwhelming joy, giving us incredible strength and confidence. However, we hadn't anticipated a major problem: how could we finance the production of 1,300 pieces? We never imagined we could face bankruptcy because we had sold three times more than planned! We were suddenly confronted with the reality of what I now consider the key to a healthy business: cash flow and working capital requirements.

We opened our Heimstone store in October 2007 at 23 rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006 Paris. Suddenly, costs were soaring: we needed management software, we were selling wholesale worldwide, and we had to establish the brand in all these countries. At every level, money was tied up: we bought too much, had excessive material stocks, our margins weren't large enough, wholesale customers paid us with a six-month delay, while our factories demanded payment before unloading the trucks. Cash flow is a vicious circle; once you're in the eye of the storm, it's very difficult to escape.That's when my father became involved in the company, first as a mentor, and very quickly as an investor to support our launch. Managing cash flow became the biggest challenge of my career. When you have your own brand, the reality is: you spend 20% of your time doing what you love, and the remaining 80% fixing problems.


What's truly extraordinary to me is that when I look back now, 12 years ago, at all the ups and downs that shaped Heimstone and all the doubts I had, neither my parents nor anyone in my family ever gave up or suggested I should move on to something else. That support is worth more than anything in the world.
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SAVED BY DETERMINATION

Avec une équipe formidable, dont la résolutrice Jehanne De Wavrechin, je me suis réveillée plus forte chaque jour, portée par la conviction que le succès de Heimstone dépendait de mon énergie, de mon travail et de mes compétences en résolution de problèmes. J'ai embrassé la liberté de relever les défis, arrivant tôt au bureau et traitant chaque problème méthodiquement. J’ai pris en charge des tâches comme la comptabilité et la gestion des fournisseurs, les maîtrisant rapidement, mais cherchant toujours la rentabilité. Cette expérience a boosté ma confiance et m’a appris le véritable sens de l'effort. Malgré le stress, je maintenais mon bien-être avec des courses quotidiennes et des massages thaïlandais, célébrant chaque petite victoire. En repensant à ces sept premières années, cela semble appartenir à une autre vie, remplie d'apprentissage constant et d'adaptation. Je pense toujours à mon mari, Onur, qui a eu ses propres entreprises depuis 2007 (Found et The Refreshment Club), et qui m’a dit qu'il voulait écrire un livre sur l’entrepreneuriat qu'il appellerait "L'art de se faire baiser".

Chapitre 1 : L'art de se faire baiser
Chapitre 2 : Apprendre à se faire baiser
Chapitre 3 : L'art de baiser

Je trouve ça hilarant, parce qu’en un sens, c’est exactement ce que c’est…
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GET UP BY CREATIVITY

Starting over from scratch is extraordinary, allowing us to rethink and redefine everything, but with five years of intense experience. I needed to rewrite the story, starting with a big cleanup to free myself from middlemen, banks, accountants, and part of my team. I don't denigrate these people who supported me, but I needed a fresh start with new people. We went from seven to three. We launched a mini production just for our shop, reducing our production costs by three. I cut all possible costs, with transportation costs dropping by 70%. It was such a relief! 

We opened a second shop rue Cambon and launched our own e-shop. The e-commerce became our international shop and showroom, working well immediately. In July 2014, we sold the rue Cambon shop to focus on our e-shop and the rue du Cherche-midi shop. Since then, we've been totally self-financed, free, and profitable. For nothing in the world would I change Heimstone's story.

HEIMSTONE TODAY AND TOMORROW

Today, our approach at Heimstone is straightforward: we create capsule collections based on the current weather rather than traditional seasons. This shift has allowed us to expand our collections and dedicate more time to the creative process, increasing numbers of prints and textiles development. Simplifying our business model has also freed me up to explore other projects beyond Heimstone. I now have the flexibility to collaborate with other brands or work on “off” projects—like designing wallpapers or set designs for stores—without directly involving Heimstone. 

Additionally, this freedom has enabled me to focus on our journal Apero, which is close to my heart, but also join my husband disruptive communication and strategic agency, The Refreshment Club, as a partner and Design Director, where we help brands on different levels but also implement workflows and visual campaugns through AI.
I will write a dedicated article and reveal interviews around digital innovations and AI in the coming weeks.
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Determination.
Adaptability.
Celebrating every victory.
Rest is crucial.
Cash flow is critical. 
Focus on cutting unnecessary expenses and prioritize results over revenue to ensure true freedom.
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