Love Yourself at the “Rue du Paradis” Bespoke Lingerie Studio!

“Rue du Paradis” is a positive vibes lingerie studio located in hipster Industry City, Brooklyn, the waterfront warehouses converted into a stylish eating destination and a unique community of creators – a place where design studio meet retail.

As the Industry City tagline says, “Expect the unexpected. Surprise and delight around every corner.” And they’re right – we were certainly surprised to discover the “Rue du Paradis” atelier!

…and delighted to meet Fanny, the charming proprietor of “Rue du Paradis” who graciously agreed to an interview with Unhooked Magazine.

Messages of self-love such as “Love Yourself”, “I’m worthy”, “I’m complete”, and “I love me” are displayed all over the shop, which is founded, as Fanny explains, around three pillars: self-love, sustainability and solidarity.

” I dream of a world where all women embrace and love themselves for who they truly are.

— Fanny, Rue du Paradis

How did you enter the world of Lingerie! Did you always want to be a designer – or did a career as a circus performer or astronaut ever feature in your dreams?

Fanny: For the longest time, as a child, I wanted to become a horse-riding instructor or horse trainer. In my teenage years, I wanted to be an actress. I don’t remember how I decided to go to fashion school, but that’s what I ended up doing. That being said, I have always been driven to art and to logic.

Oh! So, there could have been a career riding horseback in the three-ring circus – but perhaps it was your logical side that sent you in a different direction! What is your fashion training and what got you started with designing bespoke, custom-made lingerie?

Fanny: My training in fashion was at ESMOD, in Rennes (France). I quickly realized that I needed funds and/or connections in order to make it in the fashion industry. Since I had neither, I decided to become a lawyer to self-finance my dream. After having worked as an international tax lawyer for 10 years, I finally opened my first store at Industry City in March of 2022.

Making bespoke lingerie is a lot of work – isn’t it a headache, customizing every design – what with all the pattern adjustments and fittings for each customer?

Fanny: Well, it is indeed a lot of work, but our mission goes beyond the classical definition of a business. I want to create a safe environment for my customers, one in which they discover how truly beautiful their bodies are instead of running behind a fake definition of beauty. I have no investors and can develop my brand at my own pace and according to my own values. And after having been a lawyer for so long, excess work is not a real issue:).  The goal here is not to become wealthy fast but to build something solid that allows my employees, business partners and myself to have a nice life and a good work-life balance.

What made you decide to make inclusivity a core part of your mission, and what does inclusivity mean to you?

Fanny: I am half French, half Turkish, born in Germany.  I grew up in Germany until age 11 and then moved to Turkey until age 18.  At age 18, I moved to France to study. And at age 25, I came to the US. So, I have always been someone who didn’t “fit in” per se.  I think that this made me see things from an outside perspective, as of a very young age. This, in turn, made me very sensible/empathic/receptive to unfairness and lies. And so, inclusivity to me means that we are all beautiful and unique and deserving of love and that humans are just mean for no reason other than their own insecurities of the unknown.  The same energy goes into hate that goes into love – and for me, inclusivity is just pure love. The word should not even exist – inclusivity should be the norm and the word that should exist is “non-inclusivity”, as this is what should be pointed out. 

It seems great to have a perfectly fitted bra but how does the bespoke design service work? Because of course people need more than one set of underwear! Do you offer a return customer price for repeat orders once you have created their personalized patterns? 

Fanny: No, I do it the other way around: the first order is at the same price as any subsequent order, no matter how many fittings the customer has to come to for their first order.  Once we have the perfect fit, the options are endless!

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Please enjoy our mini bra-making tutorial below! We offer gift cards for both our bespoke experience and our workshops! Any questions are fastest answered by sending us an email or a DM on Instagram.

Fanny,
Rue du Paradis

What has been the biggest challenge for you in creating sustainably produced lingerie?

Fanny: Well, sustainability is an interesting word, and its definition is certainly multi-faceted. To me, sustainability of course means paying utmost attention to not hurting our home, mother Earth.  For example, I am working on this by working with Eco Enclose for my packaging, paper, stickers, business cards. They are pretty amazing – even their ink can be made out of algae so as to leave as little a mark as possible on the environment. 

'Love Yourself' at the "Rue du Paradis" Bespoke Lingerie Studio! Click To Tweet

In terms of production, the fact that I produce only on a made to measure basis here in Brooklyn means that I have no stock left that I am throwing out. That being said, I don’t believe that any company producing a new product can call itself sustainable. True sustainability is second hand. But sticking to the word itself, “sustainability” has a wider definition than just paying attention to the environment.  It also means paying attention to the workers in the entire production chain, including my own employees and business partners. 

And I believe that when you use high quality materials that last long and that are produced in a respectful environment, that means less waste and thus sustainability to me.

You’ve said that you are passionate about helping people find undergarments that fit perfectly. That’s a big challenge given all the different body types – what is the difference in designing a bra for a tiny busted versus a big-busted customer from a technical standpoint?

Fanny: It is not so much the bust size but the weight or way the breasts fall.  Two entirely same sized busts can have widely different needs in terms of support and hence design. 

What’s one thing that has surprised you about starting your own business?

Fanny: The sense of freedom and completeness that comes with it, even though from a financial perspective, it is a huge downgrade… for now!

What has been the greatest challenge of running a small business? The greatest reward?

Fanny: Doing everything by myself and finding customers and getting the word out with no budget for advertisement is the biggest challenge for sure. The biggest reward is when I see my customers try on their orders, their eyes sparkling and without being able to take their eyes off their bodies, as if they saw their beauty for the first time. I love making my customers happy by listening to them, creating with and for them and addressing their particular needs.

Where do you see the brand in 5 years?

Fanny: With multiple boutiques and with in-house manufacturing in various countries. My wildest dream is to have one part of the manufacturing in Turkey, where I would hire women and have part of their compensation include schooling costs for their children.  There is a lot of domestic violence in Turkey and maybe allowing women to be able to take care of their children on their own may help them in leaving an abusive or unhappy situation. I don’t know, maybe I am just too naive also!

How did you get started with your workshop at Industry City?

Fanny: My concept was actually born by teaching these classes. At the beginning, I was asking my customers what their standard size was so that I could give them the pattern in their size.  We would then make the bralette together… only to realize it wasn’t a fit.  Because all our bodies are very different from what the industry makes us believe we should look like. And that’s how my concept was born: made to measure lingerie.  I then stopped teaching these classes and concentrated on developing my idea.  With the opening of my first physical location at Industry City, I was able to pick up the workshops again!

Tell our readers about your exciting lingerie making workshops. What is the process?

Fanny: The workshops are just a fun moment for our customers.  We take their measurements; they design their own bralette and then we teach them how to sew their lingerie.  No sewing experience required! The bralette making workshop generally lasts 4 hours and the lace and other materials are included. is the first workshop we suggest taking, as it teaches you all the necessary steps to then take a more complicated class. We host our workshops every day with the exception of Mondays, and they start at 10:30am. We also offer lingerie parties or bachelorette events upon request!

We would love you to send us a mini photo tutorial on underwire bra making, to give our readers an inside look at what it takes to design and make a wired bra! 

Fanny: Absolutely! Please enjoy our mini bra-making tutorial below! We offer gift cards for both our bespoke experience and our workshops! Any questions are fastest answered by sending us an email or a DM on Instagram.

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