How a French lingerie brand is redefining sensuality with a sustainable twist

In partnership with Scandale

When it comes to sensual lingerie, no one does it better than the French. But what of sensual and sustainable lingerie? No one does it better than Scandale eco-lingerie, the iconic French lingerie label first launched in 1932.

Why? It's simple. Not only are their designs timeless, affordable and comfortable, they are also made using 100% eco fabrics, using roughly 50% less water than conventional fabrics to help reduce the carbon impact of the garments.

Each product is fully traceable, so consumers know exactly what and where they're buying from.

In a departure from trend-led fast fashion, the Scandale eco-lingerie permanent collection consists of just 105 pieces, inspired by iconic Parisian neighborhouds, and available in six timeless colourways. The perfect way to embrace your sensuality in a more conscious way.

Here, Scandale eco-lingerie CEO and co-founder Edouard Roche, talks us through the journey of the brand and its designs.

How did the brand start?

Scandale was created in 1932 and it became an iconic French lingerie brand known for liberating women, thanks to its elasticity & lightweight fabrics, which were revolutionary at that time. In 2022 Scandale éco-lingerie is re-inventing underwear with sustainable fabrics, with people & planet in mind.

The brand is focusing on lowering carbon emission, protecting planet resources and enforcing circularity.

Is it challenging being a sustainable brand in the lingerie market?

Lingerie still has a long way to go as only few lingerie brands have sustainability at their core. It is time to bring smart solutions for a better future by preserving planet resources, and do good for the people. At Scandale, we challenge ourselves to defy the norms, inventing a new standard in offering a permanent collection made of 80% recycled fibres & organic cotton, limiting our waste, our CO2 emissions &, our water use.

Our dream was to design a graphic contemporary lingerie collection but with 100% eco-fabrics, originated from textile waste to recycle & organic fibres. Our French design team and expert sourcing managed to combine chic, refinement, & sophistication. Our clients from 16 to 65 years old are attracted to our contemporary design, to the softness of our eco-fabrics, our quality & fit but also by our transparent & traceable approach to sustainability.

You focus on timeless styles rather than trend-led pieces, was that a conscious decision from the beginning?

We soon realised that ‘slow fashion’ is the way forward… Our goal is to offer a more conscious alternative, offering a permanent collection of 105 styles, made of a few condensed capsule collections every year.

We are reducing our impact by focusing on quality vs. quantity, educating our consumer to reconsider their purchasing behaviour. During last Black Friday, we were part of the very few lingerie brands advocating Green Friday!

What journey do your pieces take?

We want our operations to be as transparent & traceable as possible, so we signed the Transparency Pledge 6 months ago. Our major decision was to create a proximity sourcing network gathering all actors in a close radius, avoiding unnecessary transportation during product development, walking-away from airfreight.

Our French design team is 140km away from our manufacturers, enabling us to receive all development samples by ground transportation. Our eco-packaging supplier is 90km from our factories, limiting unnecessary emissions.

As the great majority of fabrics and textile innovation in lingerie comes from Asia, we decided to locate our design and development team in Hong Kong. Our products design starts with French designer in HK. Our recycled yarns comes from Asian locally sourced providers.

Our exclusive sustainable guipure, embroidery & laces are produced in an audited and certified mill in Bangkok, while the rest of the fabrics are made 140km away. 100% of our transported materials come to our factories by ground or sea transportation.

Finished products are sent to our certified Green Logistic partner based in Belgium, who delivers to customers & retail partners.

While we are proud of what we accomplish so far, we are very aware of our challenges ahead, like reducing the radius of our proximity sourcing, increasing our use of renewable energy, finding alternative dyeing methods… Sustainability is a journey we decided to embark on for the rest of our life.

What can consumers do to be more sustainable, especially when it comes to fashion?

We encourage consumers to still love fashion, but to take the planet and its people into consideration when they shop. For example:

• Buying less but better, giving their favour to genuine & transparent eco-brands offering great sense of style.
• Walking-away from fast fashion temptations being more aware & conscious of the impacts on workers & Mother Earth.
• Enjoying beautiful second-hand pieces with their own DNA, history, scars…
• Washing lingerie by hand or if not possible in low temperature low programs using a Guppyfriend wash bag to capture all fibres during the wash & rinse.
• Stop using a dryer at home as it is one of the top eco-offenders in any household.
• Donating unwanted products to charity shops (Farah, British Red Cross, Mary’s Living & Giving, Oxfam etc) .

We invite you to join us to build a more sustainable & ethical future but also to enjoy a new French sensuality with a conscience.