10 years of Grungemama
Grungemama - The beginning of the adventure
Grungemama was born in my living room, amidst piles of fabric and hastily taken photos. No marketing plan, no budget, just me, my passion, and my love for women, their strength and their fragility...
From the very beginning of this adventure, Eric, aka Banditas, has been by my side, an essential partner. Together, we've built something strong, a bond of trust and perfect synergy. He's always been incredibly responsive (almost as much as me!), ready to bring all my ideas to life, even the most audacious ones.
Grungemama has been able to develop largely thanks to our shared passion for textiles, colors, and everything that makes up the essence of creation.
The adventure started off with a bang, driven by the idea of creating pieces that weren't just clothes, but vehicles of freedom. In each creation, I poured a part of myself, my values, and a touch of madness. I wanted more than a brand: a movement. It was risky, but that was also the magic of Grungemama: daring .
"GRUNGEMAMA HELPS WOMEN REVEAL THEIR STYLE, THEIR SOUL"
NATHALIE BONHOURE
Nathalie Bonhoure - 10th Anniversary Interview
TELL US ABOUT THE BEGINNINGS When instinct replaces plans and strategies. What we often hear is that Grungemama is a success story. In reality, it's that I wanted to transform my living room into a style headquarters. I'm lying down like a stack of stacks, and I start jotting down stories amidst piles of fabrics, snapshots, beads...
I'm selling my Fiat 500 for a Clio without air conditioning and reinvesting every penny in my ambitions. No marketing plan, just me, boundless energy, and my burning desire to create.
WHY THE NAME GRUNGEMAMA? WHAT DOES A GRUNGEMAMA MEAN TO YOU? Because that's who I am: a mom who loves her kids and does her best to give them a solid foundation. Not the most organized, not the most traditional, not the best cook, but always there, authentic. GRUNGEMAMA is a woman who accepts who she is: her qualities, her flaws, her strengths, her shortcomings, and her choices (the good ones, the bad ones). She doesn't strive for perfection; she chooses truth. And that's her strength.
You often talk about community. Tell us more... Grungema comes to life on social media!
Facebook and Instagram. Little by little, a connection was formed with these women. Before the first boutique opened, the women would either order from the website or I would deliver to them in Toulouse. They would sometimes try on clothes in the fitting rooms at Monoprix on Rue Alsace-Lorraine... It's crazy, it gives me chills to remember that time. The first Grungemama boutique opened in 2016. On opening day, the women were there, queuing up.
Success was immediate. The boutique was packed, customers eagerly awaiting the opening of the boxes and chatting amongst themselves. I felt a special energy that day, one that would continue to guide me. Here, people don't just come to buy clothes; they come to have a good time, to connect, to express themselves, to awaken the power of womanhood through their style. Behind each customer, there is a woman seeking to regain confidence, often after difficult times or periods of vulnerability. Grungemama offers her a raw, stylish, and authentic reflection. For some, it's the first time they've truly loved themselves. For others, it's finally a look in which they feel alive. The Grungemama spirit was born. Anything is possible!
FROM THE SHOWROOM TO THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET, THE BRAND INSPIRES! More than just a question, I see the brand as a beacon of freedom. With 11 boutiques, 55 employees, and a community of 800,000 women worldwide, Grungemama has become a movement, a force, a collective energy driven by those who no longer wait for permission to exist. Every week, 20 new creations complete the trends, fueled by this simple idea: style is about being yourself, about attitude, not conforming to standards.
CHAPTER 10 GRUNGEMAMA, BEYOND ME I say this sincerely, GRUNGEMAMA was destined to be beyond me. What I created transcends me; the brand now speaks to all women. I carried it with my strengths and my flaws, but today, it lives thanks to you. My role is to build bridges so that it can experience what is happening. This movement has become a collective breath; it no longer truly belongs to me, and that is my greatest pride. THANK YOU!
And now ?
The next 10 years promise to be just as exciting as the first. We've grown, we've learned, and we've broken down barriers. But there's still so much to do!
Grungemama will continue to grow, offering bolder, more inclusive, and more socially conscious creations. We will push the boundaries of fashion, craftsmanship, and community to empower every woman to assert herself and express herself freely and without compromise.
It's a fashion that rejects labels, that prefers soul to appearances and attitude to perfection. At Grungemama, the blend of femininity without glossing over everything is about being instinctive and profoundly alive. It's a gentle cry, a way of saying, "I am here, whole, real, and I have nothing to prove."
10 years of you, 10 years of us.
Ten years. Ten years of excitement, dizzying heights, doubts, and victories. Ten years of passion carried on with all our might and with all our heart. But above all, ten years of you, and all those who have followed this adventure. To those who have worn our pieces like a soft armor. To those who believed in this slightly crazy idea that you can be a woman, strong, free, and stylish without ever betraying yourself. Thank you. Grungemama is not a brand. It's a connection, a cry, a way of life, and without you, none of this would have had any meaning. You are our muses, our pillars, our energy. So for these ten years, I say to you from the bottom of my heart: Thank you for every order, every word, every glance exchanged. Thank you for being there. Real, imperfect, radiant.
Grungemama is for those who don't need approval to exist. Those who dare to wear leather like they dare to speak out. Those who cry, who love, who create, who break the rules and the rules of heels. Those who want what is real, beautiful, and alive. Thank you to all of you, women both seen and unseen, loyal supporters from the beginning and newcomers alike.
Thank you for your trust, for your kindness, and also for your high standards, which push us to surpass ourselves.
Thank you for being Grungemama.
"THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THIS ADVENTURE, FOR GIVING IT MEANING, FOR PROVING THAT FASHION IS NOT JUST A MATTER OF STYLE, BUT ABOUT BEING YOURSELF IN ATTITUDE AND ALSO IN TRANSMISSION."
NATHALIE BONHOURE
