The type of leaders of any enterprise says a lot about the enterprise itself. Alenver is no exception. The creative and innovative energy that principals Patrice Hallot and Piret Johanson bring to Alenver is demonstrated in their unique underwear collection, and makes Alenver a tour de force in the international fashion world.
The first principal at Alenver, and the quiet creative mind behind the underwear concept, is Patrice Hallot. Hallot brings an entrepreneurial career in photography and fashion to the Alenver collection. As a youth of 17 years, Hallot started his first entrepreneurial venture in France with the opening of a tennis store in a small building on his parents’ property. The bold thing about this was that he brought in key French tennis players to wear his shirts, visit and promote his store – something that had not been done before. This early start of Hallot’s ability to see an opening and to make things happen has been a critical skill in the development of Alenver’s unique line of underwear.
Hallot’s talents turned to fashion photography where he developed an international clientele of models, modeling agencies, designers and stylists for hair and make up with his Picture Perfect Company. He kept a close link with the fashion world at all times and kept a keen eye on areas in the fashion industry that were up-to-the-minute, in addition to areas that were neglected.
Seeing the need in the industry, Hallot applied the technology of digital printing to the printing of models’ series. Where traditionally, large printing companies required a series of 1,000 prints, Hallot determined that models would benefit from printing series of 150 to 300 prints to keep their prints current. He began this process as the only photographer utilizing this technique in France and then expanded to Germany, Italy, Finland, Sweden and the United States as clientele learned of the benefits of such a process.
Hallot’s creativity then turned to the underwear industry. Through his years as a photographer in the fashion world, he had observed a lack of creativity in the underwear industry in general and men’s underwear in particular. Hallot observed that few significant changes had occurred in men’s underwear in recent decades. Men’s underwear had taken on a mostly functional role with minimal creativity or individuality. This was his opportunity to create a product that met men’s growing expectations that fashion meet their sense of style – extending even to underwear. Utilizing unique colors and metallic gold and silver to display motivating messages on the wide elastic of underwear and bras, the colors and designs look like jewels – allowing the wearer to make a fashion statement with their display. This concept has taken underwear to a new level as underwear accessory. The products’ owners say that just as individuals accessorize with a belt or gold chain, now they can accessorize just by showing the elastic from their jeans.
The second principal at Alenver is Piret Johanson, Vice President, Business Development. Johanson brings international modeling, design and marketing experience to Alenver in a unique combination of knowledge and skills. As a young child Johanson was surrounded by various creations of her grandmother who was an interior designer in Estonia. At an early age, Johanson left her home country of Estonia, and all that she knew behind to pursue an international fashion model career. This almost innate sense of leaving behind the familiar to forge ahead with the unknown may seem to some as a risky venture. To Johanson, however, it is indicative of her adventurous confidence to open new doors and try new avenues. Johanson’s modeling career spanned the European, Asian and North American markets for over ten years. She modeled for top-level agencies including Marilyn Agency (Paris), Next (New York), and Fashion (Italy), and brings her first hand knowledge to Alenver’s current photo shoots and public relations.
Not content to solely rely on modeling as her only future, Johanson pursued French language studies at the Sorbonne, arts at Ecole du Louvre and interior design at the internationally recognized Ecole Camondo School of Interior Architecture and Design. Language fluency matured through these years and Johanson is now fluent in English, French, Russian, Estonian, and Spanish languages.
These studies allowed a smooth transition into the creation of Piret Johanson Interiors. With an increasingly sophisticated clientele and international recognition in residential interior design, Johanson was awarded one of the Top French Designers by De Neus Publications, Paris Interiors 2002. Her projects have been featured in European and American design magazines and publications including Ideat (France), Best Interiors (Russia) and Inside Out (USA), in addition to the prestigious international show house: Casa Décor (USA) and brought her into close contact with some of the most creative minds in fashion.
Johanson has recently undertaken an exciting new venture as Development Coordinator for the Miami Symphony Orchestra. Charged with the goal to bring more people to learn about, support, and enjoy classical music, Johanson has embarked on a business plan to involve new and influential sponsors and entice music listening patrons in the community to the orchestra. This distinctive combination of Johanson’s business understanding, arts background, international experience, and language prowess come together in Alenver’s launch.
Unique to Alenver’s collection is the concept of showing the waistline with motivating messages seen on the wide elastic. The surprise of the messages is that they are reversed – allowing the wearer only, to see the true message in the mirror - the suggestion being that wearers can start their day in a specific mood and pick a pair of Alenver underwear to express it. Alternatively, wearers can pick their underwear as inspiration for their day. The wearer can make the choice to maintain the message as a personal self-motivation, or to wear it to communicate their mood to others. Alenver’s collection is made from a mix of 95% pure cotton for comfort, and 5% elastane – for shape retention and fit, resulting in a comfortable fit and sleek look. Current messages include money, bitch, die for 305, and fucker. Alenver’s newest items to come out of production soon will feature angel and divine messages thus expanding their appeal to wider audiences with something different to say.
Color and style are important features of the Alenver collection. The men’s and women’s lines are designed to complement the new season’s hottest color trends, with the classic black and white always available. Colors include purple, khaki, pink, fuscia, and dark brown. Contrasting bands of color with gold and silver designs provide the variety that wearers desire. Styles include boxers, bikinis, and briefs. The women’s line also features lace in some styles. Bras feature a shimmering gold or silver line across the back for display with open back tops.
Alenver’s unique underwear concept has taken their underwear beyond the competition to a new level as underwear accessory in just two years. Starting with the men’s collection first available on the web, the collection expanded, including women’s pieces, with support from hip hop and rap musicians and specific designs tailored for them. Sales then expanded to retail stores as the musicians’ publicity spread the news of the unique idea. With a dearth of expressive underwear in the fashion industry, Alenver’s principals say this new collection seeks to make customers happy and their lives more fun. Hallot’s and Johanson’s shared ability to gain inspiration from life all around them, plus their combined experience, leadership, and visionary creativity, have then forged new territory and created an exclusive niche in the fashion industry.
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Alenver's Unique Style and Concept of Sexy Underwear.
