The beach, the sun, the coconut trees, Kenya, colorful Kikoys, a straw hat, a cocktail in hand ... here you already know everything about us.
For the curious
It all starts with a story of brother and sister.
In 2008, Marianne (alias Simone) took advantage of an internship in Tanzania to discover the charms of East Africa. She discovers a great fabric there: the Kikoy or Kikoi (at the time she still hesitates).
Back in France she brings back some Kikoys in her suitcase and offers to her brother Jean-Baptiste (alias Georges) to set up a small company to sell a few.
Neither one nor two, a table and two trestles later, Marianne and JB go shopping in the Southwest to present the Kikoy, still little known in France. The Kikoy meets its public from the first summer. The concept is validated!
Back in Paris when choosing their profession they decide to create their own: Vendeurs de Paréos. In a nod to their grandparents they name their brand"Simone and Georges".
It is all well and good to be an entrepreneur, but you still have to work hard and have a bit of luck too anyway (especially when you know nothing about the sector in which you are going). Simone and Georges would not be there if we had not met the right people to support us throughout our development.
The very first person we can thank today is our partner in Kenya: Sajaad!
We met on the internet when we were looking to have our Kikoys produced. We looked like big international business men at the beginning. When we saw each other for the first time and saw our respective deceptions, we laughed a lot. We were the same age and the same small companies that had just been created in fact.
We've been working together for 12 years now, we've been through a lot since then, we've taken turns supporting each other when one of our companies needs it. A relationship of trust like that is not found every day, we are very lucky.
We can tell you today, our first delivery of Kikoys was stored in our living room. Then we rented a small box in the south of Paris, Georges made daily round trips, it was not very practical. And then we met the Ares Services association, by chance.
The Ares group's mission is to support populations in situations of high exclusion by using various means of integration through work. One of their activities is to manage the logistics of brands like Simone and Georges. Fortunately they agreed to take care of us from the start, we weren't very fat though. A big thank you to them!
Our small stock wandered through different structures of the Ares group, and each time we were delighted to find the same positive frame of mind and the same quality of service. Today we are at Ateliers sans Frontières, one of their subsidiaries. They really do a great job.
Find out more about Ateliers sans Frontières The rest of the story
A few years and a few thousand Kikoys later, Georges is still there. As for Simone, she decided to explore other paths, those of meditation. She now shares her indoor and outdoor travels in a book and provides training to help people meditate.
But Georges is not alone, he is now surrounded by Anne and Julien, who took the names of Violette and Jules to blend into the world of Simone and Georges.
Violette fell in love with Kikoy from the start, on the first market that Simone and Georges did. Since she took on the role of Artistic Director at Simone and Georges, it is the eye and the “good taste” of Simone and Georges. If you have ideas to beautify the beaches do not hesitate to let him know: violette@simone-et-georges.com
To see the new colors she has concocted for you
Jules and Georges met while having an aperitif with a friend (dedication to Mr. Lamiche he deserves it)! He was immediately drawn to this life as a Pareo Seller. At Simone and Georges he takes care of the professional network. Its mission is to ensure that a “reseller shop” is never far from your home when you are looking for a Kikoy. Besides, if you are thinking of a store closer to you write to him:
jules@simone-et-georges.com
PS: Who is this beautiful girl who appears so often in our photos? It's Jules' sister, hello Alice! The opportunity for us to say a big thank you to him for his precious help.
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Refund upon receipt
For the whole family
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