Possible France, the rental platform for a responsible dressing room

Possible France, the ethics & sustainable clothing rental platform

Possible France is a platform at the jonction between ethical and sustainable fashion, second hand and rental. Created in 2019 with the ambition to head toward an circular and reasoned fashion industry, Possible France is a platform allowing anyone to rent sustainable and ethical clothing and accessories through a monthly and without engagement subscription.

Discover now the story of Possible France and meet with Marylou and Olivia, the co-founders:

Could you rapidly introduce yourself and how you got to this point?

Olivia: Marylou and I met while studying in a business school. We both liked travelling and had the same musical tastes, listening to Lomepaln Romeo Elvis and Celine Dion. We became friends, and a few years later, we decided to partner up to live this wonderful entrepreneurial adventure of Possible France!

How did you come up with the idea to create Possible?

Olivia: Several statements led Marylou to have the idea. First of all, she realised having several bags full of clothes to give away, an overcrowded wardrobe with garment onyl worn a few times but still the feeling that she had nothing to wear. Plus, Marylou got invited to five wedding in a summer time. When you say five weddings, you also mean five different outfits! Those outfits being rarely worn more than once… And finally, she travaled around the world and realised that it was necessary to find an other way to consume fashion.

What is the best memory in your entrepreneurial journey?

Marylou: Our daily struggles, which became funny anecdotes! As an entrepreneur, you have a bunchload of struggles coming everyday. It’s better to laugh than cry about it!

What was Possible’s most important success?

Marylou: The first subscriber that was not a relative! At the beginning, a lot of our new subscribers were friends because it was all about word of mouth. When we had this first unknow subscriber, it happened that we have been contacted by the press to make a documentary about Possible. We thus decided to include her in this project!

…And your worst issue?

Marylou: What was the most difficult was to defend the project Possible at the very beginning, when being in front of potential partner brands or potential investors.

For the financial aspects, getting rejected from a few investments bank has been difficult for us. To get a financial support, it is usually necessary to pass oral jury and commissions. It is really common that these commissions are being led by men in their fifties, whom are really far from our core target and whom are thus less sensitive to our offer! It was thus a challenge to convice them. Which, I think, is even more difficult for women in entrepreneurship!

Another issue was to convince brands to join our journey, when our offer and website were not existing yet. It was hard to catch their attention but they ended up understanding the ambition and the added value of our offer.

Our strength is that Olivia and I are very different: while I tend to head down, Olivia plans and checks everything. Our personnalities are complementary, and it helped us facing these issues.

If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?

Olivia: Nothing, we look straight ahead !

Which piece of advice would you share to someone looking to dive into an entrepreneurial journey?

Olivia: Determination, positivism, hardwork and being open-minded.

Marylou: We get a lot when being transparent and honest. To have an excellent relationship intelligence is also really important because people better take part in your project and talk more about your offer! People increasingly help you to grow your network.

What was the most important event for you this year?

Olivia: The beginning of Possible France platform! It’s the beginning of a new page in our personal and professional life for both of us, and a lot of challenges are coming forward.

What’s the next step?

Olivia: Spread the good news of the beginning of Possible France to every woman in France! In the longer run, we would like to open a small retail store network where our members could choose directly their garments. We are also planning to expand our offer to various profiles such as pregnant women, children, etc.

What do you expect from the future?

Olivia: The next step is to acquire new members! Then for the tech side we would like to optimize and automate our processes to save precious time for others matters!

 

Since January 2020, Possible France is accelerated by Look Forward by Showroomprivé, a one year free accelearion program dedicated to entrepreneurs fron the Fashion, the Retail and the Beauty industries, willing to transform these industries including toward more sustainable practices. 

To know more about Possible France’s ethical garment rental platform:

Discover Look Forward by Showroomprivé: https://www.lookforwardproject.com

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