Cygnes is the first brand of ultra-resistant tights, made in France. Behind this project are two young entrepreneurs from Reims, Inès and Axel. A look back at the history of this beautiful, young brand.
The genesis of the project
It all started in February 2020. During a family evening (not to say karakoé), our founder, Inès Saadallah, saw her tights slipping for the umpteenth time. She then discussed with the women in her family the problems caused by tights , which, over the years, have become single-use products.
She then remembered a television report she'd seen 10 years earlier about the planned obsolescence of tights. The topic resonated with her as an obvious choice: offering products that were made to last. This was the starting point for the Cygnes adventure.
Research and development
Starting in April 2020, we embarked on a research and development phase. For weeks, we traveled across France looking for a workshop to design and manufacture our tights. Many factories refused to work with us on the project: "How can you have a viable business if you sell less?" we were told.
But if our product scares people, we think it's good "Swans". Finally, we surround ourselves with a production workshop which is one of the last French family hosiery factories .
The project also needed a name. The idea of " Swans " quickly emerged: a French word – like our production – inspired by the brand's eponymous animal, which perfectly expresses elegance, beauty and loyalty: values around which we want to develop the company.
After 7 months of intense research, we found a yarn normally used for climbing clothing, previously never used to make tights, and our first prototype was born in February 2021.
A committed community
Then came the lockdown period at the beginning of 2021, during which we surrounded ourselves with around ten testers to get feedback on our product. For months, we multiplied empirical experiments, the tests followed one after the other and around ten prototypes were created, allowing us to finally find a pair of tights that ticked all the boxes: aesthetic, comfortable and above all, ultra-resistant. Discover our tights
From November 8th to December 10th, the brand launched on Ulule , and our crowdfunding campaign was a resounding success. It's still among the top 5% of campaigns today.
A clear mission: sell as few tights as possible to as many people as possible.
By tackling the problem of tights, Cygnes is tackling a problem that is increasingly criticized in the age of sobriety: planned obsolescence. A term that speaks volumes about the intentions of tights manufacturers: to sell poor quality products, regularly, as regularly as possible in fact.
Cygnes offers tights made from a yarn with proven strength properties. Each pair of tights can be worn more than 30 times. The goal is simple: slow down the tights industry. Sell quality tights with as little regularity as possible.
Since then, this mission has resonated with many of you!
Not forgetting the ecological commitment: "Cygnes is surely the most ecological brand of tights in the world"
By offering durable tights , we limit their production. But we haven't stopped there since we also return our tights!
Every day, our customers return their used tights to us (at our expense) so that we can give them a second life.
The Grand-Est region, through numerous stakeholders, supports us in this much-needed mission: recycling end-of-life tights.
As you will have understood, nothing is left to chance.
And now ?
Since Ulule launched in November 2021, more than 6,000 new swans have joined the adventure, with more than 10,000 tights sold in the last four months.
Today, Cygnes is also present in around ten stores . The team has grown and now has 6 members!
Our goal for the future remains the same: to offer you ever more durable and comfortable tights.
Today, we sell a range of tights from XS to XXL as well as socks, knee-highs and ankle socks, always in our ultra-resistant yarn.
Eventually, we plan to meet all your needs... so keep following the adventure!
8 comments
Félicitation pour votre parcours ( Waouh ) Enfin un collant ou je n ai pas de trou aux orteils ! Merci
Félicitations pour votre parcours ! Votre produit est magnifique et repond parfaitement aux attentes. Hâte de vous suivre pour la suite 🦢
Très fan de votre parcours toujours autant admirative de votre progression et innovation perpétuelle. vous êtes incroyables 🤩 belle réussite 💪 et ravie de porter vos collants et socquettes beaux produits . bravo 👏 😍🥰🦢🤍