Shared Grounds

What began with the courage of two French entrepreneurs has developed into a powerful voice in contemporary women's outerwear. A conversation with Lauren Nouchi, co-founder of Apparis, about the power of risk and a modern redefinition of luxury.

Lauren, let's take a look back: How did Apparis come about?

Lauren Nouchi, co-founder of Apparis: Amélie and I met in 2016. We both have a background in retail. My parents owned small boutiques in the south of France, so fashion has always been part of my world. And I became creative with business at an early age: in college, I brought clothes from home to my dorm in Boston and sold them to my friends. When we founded Apparis, our mission was simple: to make French fashion accessible in the US.

We started online, with hardly any capital and correspondingly few sales, so we went back to the roots of retail: trade fairs, pop-ups. We took every opportunity to meet people in person. In 2017, we had a single faux fur coat in our range at a pop-up in Williamsburg, which we sourced from a supplier in Paris. It was constantly sold out; customers couldn't get enough of it. One of them happened to be the fashion director at Bloomingdale's. She contacted us and asked to see a complete faux fur collection for winter 2018. That moment changed everything.

It led to a complete rebranding for you. What prompted this change?

We recognized that there was a real need for high-quality, animal-free outerwear. I flew back to Paris, asked our supplier to give us a chance, and we rebuilt Apparis as a 100 percent vegan outerwear brand. I didn't have a degree in design, but I had a vision and courage. Consciously taking risks became part of our DNA.

Today, Apparis is built on four pillars that reflect your values: bold, playful, conscious, and elevated. What do they mean to you?

Bold is at the heart of everything we do. This is reflected in our colors, silhouettes, and even our price point, which opened doors for us early on.
Playful is our way of keeping fashion grounded. We love luxury, but we don't take ourselves too seriously.
Conscious describes our conscious approach to materials, production, and inventory. And elevated, synonymous with sophisticated, stands for our French sensibility: refined colors, thoughtful styling, and an insistence on quality in every detail.

The concept of luxury is definitely changing. How would you define luxury today?

For us, luxury is rooted in values: integrity, quality, and honesty. I never want to hesitate when quoting the price of one of our products, and I don't have to because the price is fair. At the same time, we value beautiful campaigns and powerful stories. These elements should not be exclusive to high-end luxury; they should also enhance accessible brands that truly stand behind their products.

What can customers look forward to next season?

We are launching our first off-season collection: lighter outerwear made from vegan leather, nylon, and organza—a step toward a less seasonal offering. We are also expanding our ready-to-wear line with faux fur elements and offering special, unique pieces that are sophisticated yet affordable.

www.apparis.com, @apparis