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A Kedger has created ViJi: an app that, in a single scan, provides information about the clothing you want to buy!
Anne-Laurence Villemonteil, a 2002 KEDGE graduate, has just founded ViJi: a start-up dedicated to traceability in the fashion world.
Discover ViJi, a recent start-up dedicated to the traceability and the valuation of social and environmental actions in the world of fashion. With ViJi, Anne-Laurence wants to support fashion brands in their CSR sales and make consumers interact.
- To begin, tell us about your educational background. What did you study, both before and at KEDGE?
Once I had my scientific bac with European mention in pocket, I wanted to continue my general studies and do well internationally, so I applied for SESAME, a post-bac exam. After having completed several orals at several of the schools, I immediately knew when I passed the EBP/KEDGE orals that I would feel good in its programme, where I would be surrounded by very open-minded people, with rather unusual backgrounds, and would be in Bordeaux, a city that I loved.
- Tell us what you did after your studies were finished. What positions have you held? What did you learn in those positions?
Once my studies in Bordeaux and Rotterdam were finished, and time spent looking for work in the fashion world in Italy, I finally found my first job in Brittany, where I’m from. It was with Beaumanoir, a textile purchasing centre in San Malo. At the time it was in full expansion (Cache-Cache, Patrice Bréal, Morgan, Bonobo brands, and the C-Log logistics platform). I stayed there for a little over six years, mainly as a buyer, which allowed me to continue to travel the world while learning (skills, tools, and techniques specific to the textile sector, and management of the SMEs that have become key national players).
I wanted to broaden my vision of the sector, so I moved to the other side of the fence and joined the team of a small textile manufacturer for whom I managed the design teams, procurement, and commercial development in the Paris region. With this experience under my belt, I took off to Vietnam (a country that I had identified as having opportunities) and created my own brand of high-end, ethical women's ready-to-wear fashion. Despite the fact that my brand was recognised by the various actors in the sector (fairs, press, customers, etc), it wasn’t profitable enough and I had to close down my company after only four seasons of sales.
I bounced back by managing two companies back-to-back for foreign investors. Back in France, I settled in the Arcachon basin three years ago. When I got back, I had the chance to meet a very dynamic local entrepreneur, who hired me as Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment Manager. Because of him and his confidence in me, I was able to go back to a French career and get training in CSR by taking Master's degree courses in QHSE manager (Quality, Health, Safety and Environment) at CESI, in Bordeaux.
- What are you doing/what is your situation today? What gave you the idea and desire to do what are you doing today?
When I returned to France and renewed my long-time friendships, Josselin Vogel, my current associate, told me about her startup ViJi. I had completely adhered to the concept that brought together all my desires and skills, and several months after we first discussed it, I decided to climb aboard. ViJi is an ensemble of innovative solutions for traceability and valuation of the CSR actions (Corporate Social Responsiblity) of fashion brands and their suppliers, as well as their clients. Our objective is to collect the CSR data of brands and suppliers in order to secure and structure it. By making the information available to brands and their suppliers, we help them to better know and implement their CSR activities. By making the information available to customers through a mobile app and on the merchant’s site, we bring transparency to the consumer. The company was founded at the end of March 2019. We started technological developments on 1 May 2019, and will finalise the first version in the last quarter of 2019. We already have several customers, some of whom are major, and other brands are interested in the concept, as are private and public organisations working on the traceability in the textile sector.
- What are your business goals for the future?
The first round of fundraising is planned for 2020 in order to accelerate the company’s development. We’re going to have to internalise the development of our solutions, therefore be recruiting technical teams. In 2020, we will focus on data security and the scalability of our solutions. We want to quickly be able to use a blockchain solution in order to reach our goals. In order to improve our solutions, we need as many areas of experimentation as possible and must also recruit people with knowledge of both the textile sector and CSR, including those with business profiles and auditors.
- How did your education at KEDGE Business School help you become who you are today, and which of its courses helped you develop your project?
KEDGE provided me with the keys to understanding the general mechanisms of a company and the wider economy. These were new to me because I came from a scientific background and my family was not at all in business. I also liked the fact that I was able to be very independent while being in school. Another thing, even if I didn't realise it at the time, was that KEDGE brought me a network which remains very useful. Finally, the ability to be incubated in the Business Nursery is a great opportunity. The facilities are great, and there is support from dynamic, relevant, and caring professionals.
- Anne-Laurence, anything else to add?
The ViJi app will be available for download from mid-November. Follow us on social networks and sign up for our newsletter from the website (viji.io) to be kept apprised of the exact release date. We are in the experimentation phase and all feedback is welcome. The more users we have, and the more feedback we receive, the faster we’ll make progress on creating solutions that fit your needs.
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