This year, Alexandre Maïsetti is relaunching his fashion label Commune de Paris. In its 2023 version, the brand, which previously generated 85% of its revenue through wholesale, is focusing on online distribution and pre-orders.
For its revival, Commune de Paris has focused on a message sweatshirt featuring its motto “Courage et liberté” – Commune de Paris. Initially founded in 2009, the brand was put on hold in the spring of 2019. “We followed the classic pattern of trade shows in Paris and New York. We had to present new products to major retailers, deliver to resellers every three months, the collection didn’t have time to be showcased in stores, it was devalued and too quickly put on sale, we didn’t have the time or the opportunity to promote it, it was a frantic pace and I didn’t see the point anymore,” says Alexandre Maïsetti.
“This system exhausted me for eleven years, and Covid confirmed my decision. I no longer had the teams or the energy to continue,” explains the founder. Disillusioned but “passionate about clothing”, he launched a responsible homewear brand called Talc in September 2022, on the crowdfunding platform KissKissBankBank.
A “more mature” second version
After a “necessary period of hibernation” and a coronavirus pandemic that paralyzed the global economy, Commune de Paris has been in full revival since the summer of 2023: a “more mature” second version. In July, it launched its “first” product: an identity sweatshirt in fleece featuring its motto “Courage and freedom”, a product offered at 109 euros (available in navy blue and heather white), which has since become its best-seller.
“We launch about a dozen pieces per year, compared to 80 pieces per collection before,” adds Alexandre Maïsetti. “There is no specific collection, but drops of pieces. Pre-ordering allows us to pollute less and not carry too much stock with our logistics provider based in the Lyon region,” details the entrepreneur, now supported by Hugo Bentz, a serial investor who supports early-stage companies.
On the brand’s e-shop, the environmentally friendly wardrobe made in Portugal is offered at a more advantageous price (-10 euros on plain t-shirts available in white, heather grey, and navy blue, and -20 euros on emblem sweatshirts). “Selling directly allows us to reduce our prices by 30% compared to before,” says Alexandre Maïsetti, freed from the margins and constraints of wholesale.
Supported by “a good customer base actively participating in the revival” and a mailing list of 10,000 people, the Parisian brand offers each piece for pre-order for a period of one and a half months, then keeps a small stock.
Ambitious, the Parisian brand plans to once again develop a complete wardrobe. Commune de Paris plans to alternate basics with more elaborate and graphic clothing, and for next winter, to expand its offering with long-sleeved pieces and woolens. All rights of reproduction and representation reserved. © 2024 FashionNetwork.com
