#InterviewAlumni — Gonzague Lablanchery, Fashion in a good way

Founder of Au Juste

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Who are you, before being the founder of Au Juste?

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I am Gonzague, I am 27 years old, I come from Angers where I grew up and did my high school studies.

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And if not, what do you do for a living... professionally? What is your daily role?

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I am the founder of Au Juste, therefore, a clothing brand that I started with my sister. The bulk of my job is to be a business developer. But there are only two of us in the box today, so I also have tasks related to product development — we create our collections ourselves —, community management and everything that is administrative and financial. In fact, a whole series of diverse and varied actions that a young startup boss does.

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A word about your background between BSB and your current job?

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That is to say that I created my company when I was still a student! Before BSB, I spent two years at Carrefour, in Le Mans, as a department manager, where I managed 20 people. A very formative period... to convince myself that this was not really what I wanted to do! It was after that that I decided to join BSB on a parallel admission basis.

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If you had to introduce Au Juste to a child?

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Exactly, they are clothes made of recycled materials, that is to say that we use old clothes to make new ones, using only what exists so as not to damage the planet on which you live, because the clothing industry is one of the most polluting after the gas that your mom and dad use to put in their car.

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Any news to share?

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We have just been quoted at Maddyness as one of” 10 French startups that offer an alternative to fast fashion ” — that's what we call disposable clothing, clothes that only last 6 months. We are quite proud of it, especially to be so referenced after only six months of existence. For us, it's like a “business certification”, beyond the already very pleasant mentions we are the subject of in fashion and ready-to-wear networks.

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A striking anecdote to tell, a strong customer testimony?

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Rather, a small collection of opinions that we were able to receive: “I found in your models the quality of wool from my childhood”, “It's crazy this feeling of warmth that you have when you put on Durden”, “Wool, but that doesn't scratch, that's great! ”, “Au Juste sweaters or how to be stylish and feel responsible! The challenge has been met. The quality is there, the sweaters are very well cut and the choice of colors is successful! For those who are still hesitant, don't hesitate any longer, go for it and serve a good cause while being beautiful.” The kind of encouraging customer testimonials!

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The latest or greatest success/greatest pride that you should have celebrated more?

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In January, we did a B to B lounge which we registered only two days before. We spend four days there; for three and a half days, absolutely nothing happens... and then the last half hour, a customer arrives and places us a large order of several thousand euros! But since the order has not yet been delivered, it is not yet fully celebrated. In fact, it's hard to celebrate anything because we don't really have time to sit down... And that's true for all entrepreneurs I think!

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The biggest difficulty you have experienced with Au Juste?

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For example, at the moment we are working on three collections at the same time: September, summer and winter. So you have to finance them at the same time, that's a lot of money to come out with no return on investment before a few months. This means making purely strategic choices. It's exciting... but difficult when you have a small cash flow.

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What is an actor of change for you?

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At my level, it means being part of a young generation of entrepreneurs who want to continue creating but taking into account common sense: we must not forget the planet and the people who live on it.

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An actor of change who inspires you?

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Majdouline Sbai who wrote Is Ethical Fashion Possible? She is young, looking for solutions and has a temperament. It gets a message across without making people feel guilty, which is valuable, especially in our sector.

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Your morning routine to have the energy to change things every day?

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I get up to do something I love: it helps to get up! I also take vitamin B and C every morning to get some pep, because the days are so long. I also force myself to have a bit of contact in the morning — telephone or physical, with other business leaders and entrepreneurs of our age, in a lot of different fields. It reassures us that we are not the only ones, and it stimulates.

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The event that made you want to contribute to change?

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The collapse of the Rana Plaza in 2013 in Bangladesh, a disaster that killed 1127 people. As a symbol of all the perverse effects hidden behind the fashion world. It was at that moment that I became really aware of the need to take social and environmental parameters into account, in this case in a textile project. Hence simple common sense: there is no reason for people or the environment to be penalized by the production of clothing.

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What kind of student were you?

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The first year I was a party student. I listed on the BDS — ok, we lost... —, I played a lot of evenings, as a result I had a few catchups in the first half... But after that, no more catch-up! My friends left during a gap year, it was a bit quieter, I started working a little more and going out a little less.

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If you could relive your student days, what would you do differently?

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Frankly: I liked everything. Maybe I would have done a work-study program to finance my studies and adapt my profile a little better, but it's not a regret.

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What was the choice of path or the action taken when you were a student that served you the most?

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I did a first-year internship in Malaysia, in audit, in a company with a good international reputation, which impressed me a lot. Also, my entrepreneurial career allowed me to join Incub'BSB and to benefit from valuable support for six months, when Au Juste was launched. Otherwise, overall I was very satisfied with the teachers at BSB, especially at TEG — The Entrepreneurial Garden.

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An encounter that particularly inspired you during your career?

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That of the Director, Stéphan Bourcieu. In fact, it was he who made me choose BSB when I had the opportunity to join other better ranked schools. I talked to him for 15 minutes during the exams, I loved his speech, he gave me a great boost to come to Dijon while — I'll be honest — I had discovered the city and the school by chance and only came there to practice speaking.

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Your next big ambition?

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With Au Juste, it's about developing our distribution network to reach all of France. Leaving Paris and Lyon, we know that we can go beyond.

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Any advice or a message for a BSB student?

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Make your own journey, take everything you need to take without wanting to follow a supposed royal road. And to the future entrepreneur: take the time! If I had released my product as soon as I left BSB, I was going straight into the wall, it was not yet ready. When you don't know a field, you think you're going to revolutionize it... We wanted to make organic cotton products: if we did we would have completely screwed up. You have to dig in, take the time to find the right concepts and ideas.

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More info on Au Juste

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• Website: www.aujuste.fr
• Instagram: Au.just
• Facebook: aujust.fr
• LinkedIn: Just right
• Twitter: Exactly