Milou Milou founder Sophie Gandar started researching flax linen when she was unable to find bedding in the exact palette she had in mind. She explains that she stumbled across a supplier, and had a ‘eureka moment’. She highlights, ‘as soon as I saw that first beautiful piece, I knew that we could build a brand around it, and bring tailored made-to-order pieces back to the industry’. Sophie brought her designer/developer sister Rosaria on board, and Milou Milou was born!
After working on both her own business ventures, and within the architecture industry, Sophie was inspired by the creative entrepreneurialism of her designer, filmmaker and artist friends. She emphasises ‘I drew on the strength from others to be confident in what I can do, and learn the rest of the fly’.
The brand allows customers to design their own combination of colours, where every purchase is a custom order. Sophie explains that by using ‘dead stock’ from other larger producers, ‘our ethos is low-impact, sustainable retail and business practice – we carbon offset, are plastic-free, and we waste nothing’. The pieces are woven, dyed and sewn to order in Shanghai, with customers choosing between 26 shades in this ‘luxury re-purposing’ model.
The name Milou comes from the French name of Snowy, the much adored white dog in the cartoon Tintin. The double name ‘made sense as our duvet covers, pillow covers and pillowcases are double-sided/reversible,’ Sophie explains. Double delights!
Take a tour through the Nat Turnbull-art directed bedding shoot, where the design brief from Sophie was simply ‘no beds!’ Given the brand’s emphasis on unique textiles and customisation, it makes perfect sense that this playful, graphic photo series makes the fabric the star of the show.
