Sometimes the best ideas begin unexpectedly. Florence Shirazi and Kai Alt, brought together by their love of fashion — and each other — turned one such idea into a fashion brand that has been active since 2013.
Things do not always go according to plan. As Florence explains: “Originally, we wanted to make smart, British-inspired men’s fashion. But as so often in life, things turn out differently than you think.”
“And anyone who knows what YéYé means, also knows the sound where it all began.”
Today, Mademoiselle YéYé works with six agencies across Europe and supplies around 350 B2B clients, while also reaching online customers in markets including Japan and the UK.
The brand’s style draws inspiration from the lightness of French lifestyle: playful, effortless and timeless, like a café au lait enjoyed in the morning sun. Its collections range from dresses, tops and trousers to jackets, knitwear, denim and accessories.
With two collections a year and around 50,000 pieces produced annually, Mademoiselle YéYé works with seasonal collections rather than frequent production drops. For this year’s autumn and winter collection, the brand reports that around 40% of its production is GOTS-certified.*
Other materials used across its collections include ECOVERO and lyocell. Rather than combining these different characteristics into a single “sustainability” score, each material or certification can provide specific information about the products in which it is used.
GOTS has become an important certification for Mademoiselle YéYé. The founders explain that they value its approach because it extends beyond fibre content to requirements covering subsequent textile processing stages. For Mademoiselle YéYé, certification also provides a specific way to communicate about the requirements against which qualifying products and processing stages have been assessed.
The experience has encouraged the brand to continue exploring new materials. “We are even more ambitious now and always on the lookout for new materials,” the team explains.
With French flair, a Stuttgart heartbeat and a distinctive approach to design, Mademoiselle YéYé continues to combine fashion, colour and personality with an interest in materials and independently certified textile production.
