Lili Sidonio takes flight with Molly Bracken

The one who has always accompanied her parents at trade fairs and in the creation of the Molly Bracken brand, launched in 2008 by Julian and Catherine Sidonio, set foot in the stirrup very young. So, at the age of 10, too small to wear the family brand, she asked her mother to create a child version of the collections. Mini Molly was born in 2011 with Lili Sidonio as the muse. Having become a teenager, the young woman designed her own collections from 2015 at the age of 14 before Lili Sidonio was truly launched for winter 2016.

Today, 18 years old and a student for a year at Central Saint Martins School in London, Lili Sidonio is gradually emancipating herself. “With my own brand, I’m in the continuity of Mini Molly, she confides. 90% of the style comes from me, while my mother comes to refine the collections with all her expertise.” Inspired by her life in London, the Fall-Winter 2020 collection takes on a tone unique to the universe and influences of Lili herself. “We navigate between Army, New Age and London rock styles with a boyish vibe made up of three-piece suits, blazer-skirt ensemble, stronger pieces enhanced with flashy colors. It’s very urban street but always girly and above all portable every day, underlines Lili Sidonio. It especially resembles me since I sail between two nationalities with an English father and a French mother! “

The brand, which exhibits at numerous shows each season, including Who’s Next in Paris, is currently growing in many markets. “Lili Sidonio is present in more than 3,200 points of sale around the world, from the United States to Canada, (one of our flagship markets with in particular 50 corners in Hudson’s Bay department stores), via America of the South (Mexico, Chile) and Europe (including Spain with 30 corners at El Corte Inglés), says Julian Sidonio, CEO of Molly Bracken. In France, we rely on the support of multi-brands with distribution to more than 350 retailers. The brand is fairly new here and is enjoying good growth, “he continues, while remaining discreet about the turnover of the brands. While it has just hired the services of the Parisian communications agency Dresscode to increase its notoriety.

And if the Covid-19 has slowed down a lot of projects, it has above all enabled the brand to create a link with its community. Véronique Chuette, recruited in a confinement environment as marketing manager for Lili Sidonio, immediately acted during this parenthesis. “We have set up an influence and Instagram plan to entertain and engage in dialogue with our clients, explains the latter. We met our audience with good scores and we have also forged partnerships such as with the Fondation Hôpitaux de Paris- Hospitals in France to which we donated 10% of our sales. But our greatest success has been to release this new collection! “

While the next challenges consist in developing even more responsible collections: “The sustainable and the green are very applied and taught in London, explains Lili Sidonio. For my brand I look a lot on this but there are sometimes difficulties to apply which we would like because there are often minimum orders for certain materials. It is obvious that consumers want change now but we are working a year in advance and our first changes will take place by spring-summer 2021. “

First act, Lili Sidonio has just signed the PETA charter, thus renouncing the use of feathers, leather, silk and even wool in its collections from summer 2021. While participating in the Go for Good program of Galeries Lafayette by offering recycled polyester pieces. “Of course all this has an additional cost but it’s worth it, underlines Catherine Sidonio, co-leader, creator and artistic director of the various brands of Molly Bracken. Moreover, the next projects for Lili Sidonio concern the accessory, a universe that we have not yet developed. We are currently looking for new eco-responsible materials and suppliers to design bags. “

Finally, if the family brand Molly Bracken still displays its presence under the Lili Sidonio label, as a token of protection and recognition, it should soon disappear to let Lili Sidonio stand on her own feet. “She has acquired confidence and asserted her personality, concludes Catherine Sidonio. She is ready to take off!”