TOMO CLOTHING, ZOÉ’S WILD RIDE

2 is a good luck charm for Zoé Aveline. 2, as the French entrepreneur -- who spent 7 years at Slip Français -- is 32 years. 2 as in a female duo, because TOMO Clothing is a brand co-founded by Zoé and Céline Jeandel. 2 as in 2 wheels for these motorcycle addicts who want to reinvent cool and protective clothing for those who move at full speed.

Before going to Zoé’s place in Paris, I watched Édith Piaf perform "L'homme à la moto" on YouTube. These women have a je-ne-sais-quoi in common, a flame in their eyes. If one of them is expressing herself on stage, the other intends on occupying a strangely deserted fashion scene: that of technical clothes that ignore ugliness without ignoring safety. Wearing boots and a white garage suit, this "motorcycle woman" masters the art of conversation, even though this is her first interview. Over coffee, Zoé agreed to tell me how she and her partner took the road to entrepreneurship.

Moto in slang, or friend in Japanese 

Their brand could have been called "Tom", a short and masculine name. With TOMO Clothing, Zoé and Céline want to offer clothes that have already existed for men for a long time, their initial frustration. Zoé got the idea for the name TOMO while parking her motorcycle, reading the white marker upside down on a Parisian street. "When two girls meet and both like motorcycles, it's not common. We were both very excited to know that we shared this passion. If my father taught me how to ride a motorcycle, I still felt a bit alone in my passion and so did Celine.” As they talked, they realized that neither of them was well equipped for this means of locomotion. "I was riding my motorcycle like it was the 1970s, in shorts, while Celine was over-equipped but with clothes that didn’t fit her." In February 2020, Zoé left her job at Slip Français and Celine left her job as a corporate strategy consultant. From clothing originally thought for women on motorcycles, they quickly expanded their offering to all two-wheeled travel. The year 2020 is a year of open-air benchmark during which, between two lockdowns, they observed the girls on bikes. The observation is edifying: either women wear fashionable clothes that do not offer any protection, or they choose technical and waterproof clothes without any creative aspect. The two partners, who have become friends, one more reason to call their brand TOMO, which means "friend" in Japanese, decided to revolutionize the urban equipment of bicycle, scooter or motorcycle enthusiasts.

Functionality mode on 

Zoé has always been fond of menswear; she dreams of the large pockets on men’s jackets and pants. For this convinced feminist, TOMO is also her way of participating in equality by proposing useful and diversified clothes that liberate women's bodies.  She is delighted to see her friends, both men and women, buy TOMO pieces. "There are still too few women who ride on two wheels either because they are afraid for their safety or because they fear machismo on the roads. We have a real mission." TOMO’s goal? Delivering cool and functional clothing whatever the weather. A line of products “halfway between Sandro and Decathlon.” For their first collection, available for pre-order, Zoé and Céline have designed 3 products: a parka for 360 euros, a down jacket for 140 euros and one rain cape for 160 euros. With technical and anti-abrasive materials, waterproof internal membranes, reflective stripes, protections for shoulders, elbows and back, this collection focuses on safety.  The Première Vision Salon, the Internet or word-of-mouth have all helped the co-founders of TOMO to find their suppliers. For the production, they drove around Portugal with a map in search of the right factory. The next collection will offer a wider range of waterproof winter coats, cape and long rain jacket, rain pants but also accessories. To develop the future products, Zoé called on a former AIGLE designer to push the fashion and technical cursor further. All their fabrics come from Europe, the protections come from Germany and if the manufacturing is done today in Romania, Zoé and Céline also dream of a long-term manufacturing in France.

The quest

After her studies at IESEG and an internship in Peru for a surf-wear company, Zoé was a bit lost. She had always loved sports and dreamed of working in marketing at Quiksilver without even knowing what it would entail. By chance, she applied to the Master’s degree in Fashion and Luxury Management at the IFM (Institut Français de la Mode) three days before the deadline. “ I didn’t want to go back to school, but I really didn’t know what else to do. And I loved this year, which was a real academic and professional revelation. felt like I belonged and that I was learning things that would not be useful to me one day, but would be useful to me now. It confirmed my desire to work in textiles by visiting factories." Working on real-life situations for brands is what Zoé enjoys most. The IFM's magic formula of having its students work in groups all year long was a trigger. "At the IFM, I met people I wouldn't have met elsewhere. I became very friendly with scholarship students with backgrounds that are the opposite of mine, as I am from a rather well-off Parisian background with a classic business school background. Thanks to the IFM, I learned to adapt, to work fast and to listen to others. Working in a group has become essential for me.” She took the bold step of doing her end-of-study internship at Slip français, a start-up that was unknown at the time. In 7 years, she had the opportunity to become a “Swiss Army knife” and to go from a start-up of 3 to 120 people. She learned to reconcile the creative and commercial needs of the brand and to find a consensus between all the people involved. "I always knew that if I ever started a company it would be with someone structured and structuring."

Just the two of us!

When Zoé left her job at Slip Français, the transition to entrepreneurship, even with a partner, was not easy. Her incredible experience at Le Slip had left her exhausted, "I didn't have much energy anymore" and an offer from Hermès made her question the path she wanted to take. A trip allowed her to rest and realize that investing 100% in TOMO was the right decision. In September 2020, Zoé and Céline created their structure. To limit the financial risks, they keep a consulting part that accompanies brands in their development of French manufacturing. "I thought I knew everything about the start-up, but I quickly realized that this was not the case. I laugh about it today with Guillaume Gibault! [Founder of  Slip français]” Between sourcing materials and finding the right manufacturers, creating TOMO is a new learning journey. On paper, Céline takes care of the financial part, business development, operations, and administration while Zoé manages the products, brand image and communication. In real life, they do almost everything together. "From our hair color to our education, we are diametrically opposed. We are the mirror of each other, we can take turns when the other one is stressed, it allows us to balance each other.”

If Zoé and Céline are only at the beginning of their journey, they want to see you riding in TOMO as soon as September, when the first orders are delivered. When I ask her what she is worried about, Zoé laughs and confides: "There is another subject, the incarnation of the brand, one of the keys to success today. I'm rather extroverted, I like to make people laugh, but when you take your first selfie for your brand it's hell! You get naked!" Put on your helmet, don't forget your mask, and go see how TOMO will dress you this fall!