Chapter 1
Research & Development: The Quest for the Right Idea
At 71bis, every garment begins with an intuition... then takes time. Sometimes months, spent exploring shapes, testing patterns, adjusting details, and refining a fit.
Élise, a passionate self-taught woman, imagines each piece as an enigma to be solved , with patience and an obsession for the perfect result.
A 71bis garment is always the result of sincere research, a balance between free creativity and rigorous construction.
Chapter 2
Raw materials: when the fabric already tells the story
Often, it's the material that triggers the momentum. A texture, a transparency, a delicate plumetis turned inside out...
At Élise's, fabric is a starting point. There's little white, touches of black, but mostly colors, patterns, and favorites.
GOTS-certified organic cotton , repurposed fabrics, or dormant stocks, always sourced from French or European suppliers. The material is chosen for what it expresses, what it suggests, and for the beauty of what it promises.
Chapter 3
Production: a work of many hands
It all begins in Cognac , in Élise's workshop, where the first versions, sometimes multiple, of the same model are born. The production then continues locally, with a network of independent, passionate seamstresses , often designers themselves, who put their know-how at the service of each piece.
Other garments are made in Europe, in human-sized workshops where the finishes (embroidery, scallops, English seams) are refined with care and kindness.
Finally, some precious pieces, particularly knitwear, are entrusted to EPV-certified workshops of excellence —where the process becomes almost like goldsmithing. Each step is a tribute to time, to the hand, to the beauty of the handmade.
Chapter 4
Distribution: carry, discover, transmit
71bis can be experienced in several ways. First on the website , with a wardrobe structured into two universes:
• Permanents , to freely create an elegant and lasting essential.
• The ephemerals , more instinctive, rarer — to be picked when the heart beats.
• Without forgetting the accessories , fundamental at Élise: true style accomplices, they transform everything.
The collections are also available in independent boutiques that trust the brand. And to go further: pop-ups , designer sales , and now small group meetings , at home, in a joyful and friendly atmosphere.
Each order is packaged in a hand-stamped cotton gauze pouch , which we keep and reuse.
"A sachet of soap shavings is sometimes slipped in to delicately scent everything. Because even from a distance, receiving a 71bis garment is like experiencing a moment."