Julie Delaissé, EDHEC 2003, presents "Blune"

Can you explain briefly how your company came about?

It’s a combination of “brune” (Laurence is a brunette) and “blonde” (Eve). Their difference in hair is of little consequence; they have been inseparable friends since they first met in the lecture halls of Penninghen. Their shared tastes and desires, and even a little complicity, led to Blune, a colour not yet known to the fashion world. A colour that would take on its definitive tone when another brunette showed up – me! Blune is an alchemy of three friends who develop clothing styles for women and their children, revisited with a touch of spontaneity, poetry and humour. Clothes that give the wearer a sense of tribal belonging.

What is your initial assessment of this entrepreneurial adventure?

Entrepreneurship is a long-distance race. The start is always fast-paced and punchy but you have to save some energy for the many hiccups along the way. In our case, we had to learn about a new sector and new professions, form new networks and above all discover skills we didn’t know we had … in short a rich and unique experience!

Have you ever benefited from the network of EDHEC graduates?

Taking part in an EDHEC association was already an opportunity to meet people, give useful advice and find future business partners and clients, as many of the links we established there remain very strong. Such relationships can lead to collaboration. For example, Blune teamed up with the brand Good Goût, created by two other EDHEC graduates, Mickaël and Julia Aubertin, to run a competition on social networks.

What advice do you have for new entrepreneurs?

- Develop partnerships because there is strength in numbers

- Hold your course while at the same time listening to those around you and remaining open to discussion

- Delegate as much as possible to hold onto the freshness you start out with, and don’t get tied up in the operational side of things

What’s next for your company?

Our first fundraising scheme in 2015 allowed us to progress to the next level in terms of distribution: we moved from B2B to B2C by opening a store in Paris and overhauling our e-commerce website. The next challenges for us will be to fully integrate digital technology into our commercial and communication strategies and to pursue our international development online.

What are your expectations from the community of EDHEC graduates?

We have many different expectations of course! But the first without a doubt is to boost communication about the brand in order to expand our community and thereby develop our visibility and reputation. We are also hoping to raise more funds in early 2018 and so we are eager to get advice and share networks.

More info: website, contact details, links to social networks, etc.

Website: https://www.blune.fr/fr/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/bluneparis