Anais Bordier, alumna and brand manager for Maison Jean Rousseau

Anaïs Bordier, alumna of the MBA Luxury Brand Marketing and International Management presents the leather goods expertise of her company Maison Jean Rousseau.

Tell us about your experience at Sup de Luxe. Why did you choose our school?
After having followed higher studies in art and design school, notably 4 years in Saint Martins in London (Fashion Design with Marketing) and having worked as a leather goods designer for a French brand, I was preparing to set foot in the family business: Maison Jean Rousseau and to fully integrate it, I wanted to obtain a diploma in luxury marketing to expand my skills. Moreover, since Sup de Luxe is a Cartier Chair, the subjects covered, the speakers and the brands studied during the year corresponded perfectly to our professional environment, where we support the Haute Horlogerie brands.

What is your best memory of your Sup de Luxe experience?
I have several of them: obviously meetings with other students and the multi diversity of profiles, some were taking up studies again like me, others were completing their higher education. Conferences with exceptional speakers and their contemporary testimony of the luxury market. Finally, our visit to the SIHH, where we had the opportunity to attend one of the greatest watchmaking events in the profession.

Tell us about your career and its evolution from school leaving to today?
During my graduate studies in London, I had already approached marketing from a "creative" point of view. The Sup de Luxe training has given me the commercial and managerial vision and the international vision. I use these skills on a daily basis (and I was even able to apply them as soon as I joined Sup de Luxe), both in my position as Brand Manager for our brand, which is established and distributed internationally with our own boutique workshops in Paris, London, Tokyo and New York. My responsibility is also to ensure the sustainability of the company and I must integrate a long-term vision of the development of our House.

Why did you get into entrepreneurship?
It was my father who started his business 20 years ago this year by taking over this company, which at the time was called COBRA (Compagnie des bracelets) and which had gone bankrupt. My father was seduced at the time by the know-how and all the skills developed over the years in this company, which represent a piece of regional history, since Besançon was the French capital of watchmaking. This company, which had reached its peak in the 1980s, had gradually found itself producing abroad and with medium and low-end products. My father took over COBRA, refocused production in France and repositioned the company so that we could meet the demand for luxury. 8 years after my father took over, Maison Jean Rousseau (named after the founder of the House) was awarded the "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant" label.

How have your acquired skills been useful to you for your professional career?
During my graduate studies in London, I had already approached marketing from a "creative" point of view. The Sup de Luxe training has given me the commercial and managerial vision and the international vision. I use these skills on a daily basis (and I was even able to apply them as soon as I joined Sup de Luxe), both in my position as Brand Manager for our brand, which is established and distributed internationally with our own boutique workshops in Paris, London, Tokyo and New York. My responsibility is also to ensure the sustainability of the company and I must integrate a long-term vision of the development of our House.

What would you advise students to do to succeed in the luxury sector?
To succeed in the luxury sector, I believe that, in addition to knowledge of the environment, the market and its codes, which make sense, I see two essential elements: a sense of detail in all actions undertaken and a sense of service, to create the most beautiful customer relationships in a sustainable way.

What can we wish you for the rest of your career?
A fine reputation for Maison Jean Rousseau and that its know-how, now known mainly in the professional world, is also recognized by the private clients and the family continuity of our House.

Explain your vision of luxury in a single sentence.
My vision of luxury is that of products or services of irreproachable quality, demonstrating a particular know-how or technique and above all to be able to make them unique at any time for each customer, adapting them according to their personality and desires.

What is your company's concept and ambitions?
Notre Maison est une société de services, où nous proposons notre savoir-faire maroquinier, notre créativité et sens de l’innovation pour les matières et notre expertise dans le bracelet-montre à nos clients (qu’ils soient professionnels ou particuliers) pour réaliser sur-mesure les produits et accessoires dont ils rêvent. Pour accomplir cette mission, nous sommes verticalement intégrés avec un site principal à Besançon, l’ancienne capitale horlogère française et proche de la Suisse, où notre Manufacture regroupe différents métiers : un bureau technique avec des ingénieurs pour développer les projets, un service commercial international, un atelier de production où les artisans ne montent pas les produits à la chaine mais de A à Z, un atelier de prototypes, un atelier de traitement des peaux pour créer nos différentes couleurs et finitions sur les cuirs et peaux bruts, un laboratoire de tests avec notre service de contrôle et de qualité, un atelier de mécanique pour fabriquer nos propres outils. Nous avons également des ateliers-boutiques à Paris, Tokyo, New York et Londres et un atelier en Chine qui sont dédiés aux clients particuliers, avec des artisans fabriquant directement sur place et sur-mesure les bracelets et maroquineries pour le client particulier et où nous avons également la possibilité de répondre aux demandes SAV locales de nos partenaires horlogers. Notre ambition est de faire connaître et étendre la réputation de notre Maison et de ses services d’exception pour pouvoir satisfaire le plus grand nombre de demandes de clients, tout en préservant l’authenticité de nos savoir-faire, notre éthique et en continuant de créer, imaginer et innover dans de nouvelles méthodes et nouveaux produits.

What are the latest news from your company?
Nous célébrons cette année les 65ans de savoir-faire de notre Maison qui est labellisée Entreprise du patrimoine vivant. Nous avons également augmenté nos capacités de production avec une extension de notre Manufacture à Besançon. Et après nous être déjà établis au Japon, Royaume-Uni et aux Etats-Unis, nous venons de nous implanter en Chine afin de pouvoir servir tous les amateurs et collectionneurs de Haute Horlogerie dans le pays. La recherche et le développement de nouvelles matières et finitions fait partie de notre activité et nous travaillons sur des alternatives aux matières traditionnelles comme l’alligator ou le veau, notamment avec le développement de bracelets en peaux de poisson (nous avons déjà travaillé l’esturgeon par exemple, ou le saumon).