Today we meet Mathilde and Claire, the co-founders of Endeer, on the blog Forward Look. Endeer, one of 8 startups from Look Forward season 2, develops tech solutions for the lingerie industry: customizable bra cups at first, but more are to come!

Between new 3D printing technologies and tailor-made for all, the team has a beautiful project surfing on current trends, which is a striking example of the new FashionTech scene in France and worldwide!

 

Hello Claire, Hello Mathilde! To begin, can you present yourself and the concept of Endeer?

Endeer is based on the idea that lingerie should be made from our bodies and not standards. This is an observation that we have made as women, but also by observing how women constantly complain about their breast support.

We have two very complementary backgrounds to achieve this vision, between lingerie and technology. Mathilde is specialized in Lingerie. She studied at ESMOD and then at the London College of Fashion, before becoming the assistant of Eres and Emilio Pucci artistic directors. As for me, I have a more business and tech specialization. After a Master’s degree in Economics & Business at Sciences Po, I worked in 3D printing at Sculpteo, the French leader in this field.

 

How did the idea of ​​Endeer come to you?

The idea of ​​Endeer came in several stages. In 2010 during a trip to Shanghai, I found the same bra I had bought a week ago in Paris. It was at this moment that I wondered how a woman with an Asian morphology could wear the same lingerie as me, a Western woman.

From there, the idea of starting from the woman’s body to create lingerie germinated. A few years later, when we discovered the 3D impression – the solution to achieve mass customization – it became the last element that was lacking in order to realize this vision. And that’s how the project started!

 

So, what are your main goals for 2017?

For 2017, we want to market a first exclusive collection with a designer brand. We are also taking advantage of this year to prepare for further industrialization in early 2018. Be ready!

 

Why did you join the Look Forward incubator ?

Launching a project is a great adventure. At the beginning, you are on your own, and it is sometimes difficult to step back when you are both thoroughly involved in the project.

I think that’s why integrating Lookforward is the most useful. Its allows us to be accompanied by professionals in the fashion and innovation sector, while having a larger overview when necessary.

But Look Forward is also a choice made especially for the good mood and the responsiveness of the team! 😉

 

How do you see the FashionTech trend that is beginning to develop lately?

I think we must dissociate two trends in Fashiontech. On one hand, there are very avant-garde projects that explore the future applications of technologies like Anouk Wipprecht’s spider dress. These projects are certainly the most incredible, they give us a glimpse of what the clothes of tomorrow might be: More functional and better thought.

On the other hand, there are some short-term applications that seek to solve current problems. For example ethical leather clothes made from Muskin mushroom, the water-repellant textile for INDUO, to improve your daily life, or the WAIR scarves that fight pollution for cyclists with style.

These projects all seek to give our clothes a deeper function than simple appearance. It is for this reason that I think that Fashiontech is an interesting and intriguing movement, which makes different profiles collaborate (artists, creators, startups, big groups ..)

 

How to combine tradition and technologies in an industry like lingerie?

To marry Tradition and technology, it is above all necessary that technology is put at the service of tradition, that it is discreet and serves to embellish the savoir-faire. At least, this is the approach that we are developing with our solutions.

Our Endeer bra cups are no substitute for the incredible knowledge of lingerie designers. We focus only on the pragmatic problems women face in standardized models. Afterwards, all the traditional parts of the lingerie, the style of bras are decided directly by lingerie brands. Our mission is just to improve the comfort for their customers.

 

 

3 creatives / brands you are following right now?

Being passionate about 3D printing, we admire Iris Van Herpen who mastered the art of 3D printing and dazzles us with her unique creations. We also have a lot of respect for women entrepreneurs in fashion – for example, Stella McCartney has changed so many things by mixing fashion with ethics. Finally, a big fashion favorite for the Colombian designer Esteban Cortazar, based in Paris, whose every collection is an ode to femininity and good humor!

 

Finally to conclude, a personality that inspires you?

An incredible woman, Yourcenar Marguerite. The first time I heard her name was during my high school in Nice It was at this moment that my grandmother reminded me that a century before, Marguerite Yourcenar had passed her baccalauréat and obtained it without going to school.

And this is just the beginning of this inspiring character. She was the first woman to enter the French Academy – at a time when it was almost assumed that women did not have to think. But most of all, it’s her words that come to my mind every time I wonder if we are not a bit crazy to believe so much in our project; “It is always a madness to build a destiny”. And basically, isn’t the reason you become an entrepreneur?

 

 

Thank you very much Claire and Mathilde for these interesting views and your time! To learn more about Endeer and discover this wonderful project, please visit their website: http://www.endeer.paris