ENTREPRENEURSHIP : Vanessa Moulédous (EDHEC 2001) launche a unique concept store for trendy boys

Together with her sister, Vanessa Moulédous (EDHEC 2001), who is already heavily involved in the EDHEC Alumni community, has launched a unique concept store for trendy babies and young boys. EDHEC Alumni catches up with the "Momentrepreneuse".

EDHEC Alumni : Can you describe your career since you left EDHEC and tell us in a few words how LittleMonsieur came about?

Vanessa Moulédous : No predetermined path for me, I’ve had a diverse and enriching career so far: EDHEC graduate in 2001 – an early career in finance on the emerging electricity markets – a career change into design and brand management – followed by entrepreneurship with a job marketplace for recruiters and designers, and now since the beginning of the year, littlemonsieur.com.The story of LittleMonsieur, as for many other "Mompreneurs", began with the arrival of a child! In 2013, when I was pregnant with my (future) son, I became fed up of seeing all of the focus on little girls when it came to fashion. There was limited choice for little boys: retro fashion, sportswear, close like Daddy’s, blue, grey or brown! I wanted something else, fashion that was less limited, more fun, more contemporary and more cutting edge. I looked beyond France and found what I was looking for: why not make these brands and products available to other parents? And so LittleMonsieur came to be! And since it all started with one family member, I decided to keep it in the family, so my sister joined me on the adventure! 

EA : Can you describe LittleMonsieur? 

VM : LittleMonsieur is more than just a multi-brand fashion e-store for little boys: we want to inspire new fashion choices for small boys. At LittleMonsieur, we became fed up of seeing how little choice there was in the world of fashion for small boys. Fashion shouldn’t be the sole preserve of little girls, so we decided to launch a kids store exclusively for boys aged 0 to 10. We “create new looks”. Our mission is to inspire new fashion choices for babies and small boys:
 - We scour the globe looking for new, little-known brands 
- We select brands and products with a difference that meet our criteria: classics with a twist or more cutting-edge styles (original tailoring, arty touches, or codes from the adult fashion world applied to children’s fashion) 
- We assemble our products into original styles which parents can then purchase on our website!
LittleMonsieur offers fashion inspiration off the beaten path for little boys and a shopping experience without leaving the comfort of your home! Our target customers?
- Fashion-mad trendy parents 
- Parents who want to add a touch of magic to a more sober wardrobe 
- Anyone looking for a more original and unique present for a newborn or a little boy’s birthday 

EA : What are your prospects for growth?

VM : On a textile market that has been badly hit by the economic crisis, the children’s sector is enjoying growth. And the “birth gifts” subcategory is one of the drivers of this growth. Our suppliers have supported our concept with great enthusiasm since the beginning. And parents of little boys, too. So we are quite confident about the growth prospects for LittleMonsieur!

EA : What are your expectations from the network of EDHEC graduates? Have you already benefited from the network?

 VM : The EDHEC Alumni network is a hotbed of parents. We would hope that within that group we will find avenues for promotion and above all new clients. If you want to help us, the first thing to do is simply to like our Facebook page and share it on your wall. Having served as an EDHEC Alumni Ambassador for several years, first at the Culture & Media Club, and then for the last two years at the Club Entreprendre, I know just how much EDHEC can act as a big and wonderful family whose members can help one another out. Now we need them to achieve greater visibility and build our clientele. 

EA : What’s next for LittleMonsieur?

 VM : We officially launched littlemonsieur.com on 17 September 2014 with our autumn-winter collection for 2014/2015. Currently and over the next few months, our main focus is to promote our brand, attract new clients and add new brands. In the medium term, we want to explore the opportunities available as we set up in Australia in late October 2014. LittleMonsieur is already thinking big ;)

More information
> www.littlemonsieur.com
> www.facebook.com/littlemonsieur
> www.pinterest.com/littlemonsieur 
> @LittleMonsieur