La Nouvelle Care, a lingerie line that is entirely devoted to helping breast cancer survivors (re)gain confidence.

Because lingerie can also support healing, La Nouvelle has imagined La Nouvelle Care, an inclusive line designed to restore women’s confidence after breast cancer. Developed by our production team represented by Lola Amiel, in collaboration with Dr. Monique Cohen, mastologist at the Paoli-Calmettes Institute in Marseille, this collection is engineered to offer durability, comfort, delicacy and femininity.

Here are the beginnings of this adventure based on commitment and solidarity.

The La Nouvelle Care line was born of the desire to offer inclusive lingerie that can support all women, including those who have survived breast cancer. How did you meet?

Lola Amiel: When I met Monique Cohen, I already had the idea of creating a post-operative lingerie line in mind. We exchanged views and since I felt it was absolutely essential to have feedback from a professional to ensure that the line was relevant, I soon asked her to participate in the project and advise us.

Monique Cohen: We met at the right time. I already liked La Nouvelle a lot, and was a customer. I often thought that such a brand should offer a line for cancer survivors. The issue comes up very often when I see patients, and until now, the only bras that we could offer to our patients were so-called ‘medical’ designs sold in pharmacies, which are very classic in their shape and not particularly light-hearted. Yet, after breast cancer, women need and want to dress nicely. But post-operative lingerie is often perceived as very functional and medical.

Why did you think it was important for these women to be offered comfortable lingerie that was also beautiful and feminine?

Monique Cohen: We need to remember that there are a lot of patients with breast cancer: about 60,000 new cases per year, many of whom are young women. We are fortunate to be able to treat the disease with a good prognosis — 90% of patients recover — but then they have to live with the after-effects of treatments, which can include mastectomy. These consequences can be very serious on a social level. Being able to offer them a bra that they buy in a lingerie store like their friends, and not in a pharmacy, is important. In that way, they don’t feel stigmatised, and can return to a ‘normal’ life after the disease. They too are entitled to a touch of femininity, a pretty bra that can be revealed under a shirt or a tunic.

Lola Amiel: I was particularly keen to offer beautiful post-operative lingerie, because it is a subject that is close to my heart. And I am convinced that the psychological dimension of healing is essential. Women need to regain self-esteem. And this involves being able to look at yourself again, and feeling beautiful and feminine, even after the loss of a breast.

Monique Cohen: Yes, absolutely, healing is not just about eliminating the disease. It means getting back your quality of life, image of yourself and place in society. Appearance, being able to dress normally, is crucial. This lingerie is part of that aspect of reconstruction. This is not just a detail: it’s very much part of caring for yourself.

Concretely, how did you work together on designing underwear for such women?

Monique Cohen: When I agreed to participate in the project, the La Nouvelle team had already given the subject a lot of thought, and so not much input was required from me. I was rather impressed by how far they had come. We simply made a few adjustments, thanks in particular to the patients who agreed to test the designs.

Lola Amiel: Yes, we did a lot of fittings. Initially, I thought of creating a single comfort bra that could accommodate a silicone prosthesis, like the ones you find in pharmacies. But the fittings and discussions showed me that not all women want to wear a silicone prosthesis. Some wear one when they go out in the evening, but not necessarily on a daily basis, because it is heavy and can be uncomfortable. So we created two comfort bras: the Hope comfort bra, which allows you to insert a prosthesis, and the Faith comfort bra, which features removable compact pads in different sizes to balance the figure. I wanted to show Monique each technical development and share progress with her.

Monique Cohen: It was important to have pads in different sizes, because often, after reconstruction, the two breasts are no longer symmetrical. In addition, a reconstruction is rarely done in a single step. Sometimes it takes two, three, or even four procedures. Using foam pads allows you to dress more comfortably before undergoing further reconstruction procedures.

Were there other medical recommendations to take into account, regarding materials, fits, seams?

Lola Amiel: The choice of materials was essential. The linings had to be hypoallergenic, and as light as a second skin. Each comfort bra is therefore lined in special material. Secondly, the seams under the breasts and arms had to be extremely soft, with no scratching or hurting by the thread. So we made sure that the seam was ‘sheathed’, i.e. integrated inside the fabric, so that it would not hurt. For the Hope comfort bra, Dr. Cohen advised us to cross the neckline more to better conceal the scar, and to design straps that are wide enough to support a prosthesis without hurting the shoulder. We wanted these designs to be comfortable, while retaining the feminine touch and colourful prints that are unique to La Nouvelle. We were very lucky with our project in that our manufacturer based in Tunisia, had already been working on post-operative lingerie for a long time. We have a very committed supplier, with real expertise in these issues. They were already fully aware of the constraints related to scars, materials, comfort.

Monique Cohen: This is what makes this project so special: everything was done with great care, kindness and attention, from design to manufacture.

Who is the La Nouvelle Care line for?

Monique Cohen: This line is mainly aimed at young women, up to 50 or 60 years old. Women who have survived cancer and want to dress nicely and be attractive. These are the women who need the most support, as the incidence of breast cancer is increasing in younger women.

Lola Amiel: But we also wanted the Faith comfort bra to be suitable for all women, not just those who have had surgery. They can remove or add the pads as they wish. It was important for us not to lock these women into an ‘ailing’ category, and to offer inclusive lingerie that can be worn by everyone.

What was the early feedback from patients?

Monique Cohen: I haven’t yet shown it to all my patients, but I’ve talked a lot about it to fellow mastologists at the Paoli-Calmettes Institute. They were enthusiastic about the project, very excited to be able to offer this to their patients. Many thought it was a fine initiative.

Lola Amiel: On our side, the women who saw and tested the first designs were delighted. They tell us it finally brings some freshness and modernity to post-operative lingerie, because what you find today in pharmacies is often beige and depressing. They are also delighted to not have to buy their lingerie from a pharmacy, but from a lingerie store like any other woman.

Finally, how can we support the Paoli-Calmettes Institute on a daily basis?

Monique Cohen: 10% of the profits from La Nouvelle Care sales will be donated to the association Be.Cause Club, independent of the PCI. For our part, we have a partner organisation, T’Hâtez-vous which works to support breast cancer prevention and treatment, which everyone can support through donations.

*The organisation Be.Cause offers supportive care to women who have had breast cancer.

Photo credit: Nicolas Vallauri