La Nouvelle x Ginette NY, the lucky collaboration.

Interview with Frédérique Dessemond, Founder of Ginette NY

Founder of the Ginette NY jewellery brand, Frédérique Dessemond has conquered the world with her minimalist rose gold jewellery. Following our initial collaboration in 2021, we have decided to join forces once again for a novel collaboration inspired by luck. Together, we have designed three lucky charms and two swimsuits that celebrate liberated femininity and shared expertise. Meeting with a very lucky person.

Hello Fred, could you tell us more about yourself in a few words?

I am from Marseille, I have been living in New York since 1998, and I am the founder of the Ginette NY jewellery brand. And that happened very spontaneously, through chance encounters and a good dose of luck. I like to talk about serendipity, meaning “something that was meant to happen”, because I never wanted to start a business, let alone achieve such success! I came to New York to help a friend who was a stylist and was about to have her first baby, and I never left!

How did Ginette NY come about?

I started out as a street vendor, selling used bags that I had customised, alongside my first job to earn a living. A buyer spotted my bags and asked me to create a piece of jewellery for her store. As I had not studied jewellery making, I limited the technical work by designing a very simple piece using findings bought from wholesalers. That’s how I created the Disc medal: a gold medal that each customer could personalise with their initials. The next step was the creation of Ginette NY to offer fine rose gold jewellery that can be worn every day, close to the skin. Precious but never showy.

You named your brand Ginette. Who was she?

She wasn’t a real person, but the name reminded me of Odette, my grandmother, and I thought it sounded nice. It is also a nod to my Marseille roots and to the sun. To me, Ginette is an everyday woman with character, who is confident and assertive.

Speaking of Marseille, tell us about how you met Alix...

Mutual friends introduced me to Alix for the first time in New York. It was a lovely encounter. I remember she had just completed her studies. We met again a few years later at the Première Classe trade fair in Paris, where she was presenting her brand. I immediately loved her designs, and the idea of elegant lingerie for everyday wear. Her lingerie is not pretentious.

What does La Nouvelle mean to you?

It evokes elegance and comfort. I like the discreet, restrained style of La Nouvelle underwear. These items are like my jewellery, simple with a touch of sexiness for independent women! I also love how they work with fabrics and prints that you don’t see anywhere else.

What are your shared values?

Alix and I are both committed to supporting free, independent women who don’t try too hard to be sexy. We also share the goal of appealing to all women, regardless of social background, with a desire to create intergenerational pieces that can be exchanged or passed down from mother to daughter. Lastly, I believe we also have in common the fact that we have both brought something new to our respective worlds. I created affordable jewellery for everyday wear at a time when the jewellery industry only offered large, very expensive pieces, and Alix created elegant and comfortable lingerie that didn’t yet exist… The notion of comfort is another of our shared values. We believe it is important that women feel comfortable in what they wear.

How did the idea for this La Nouvelle x Ginette NY capsule collection come about?

We had already collaborated on leggings, trousers and a yoga bra in 2021 when I designed the Anahata collection dedicated to wellbeing. This time, it was Alix who suggested the idea of creating charms for La Nouvelle as well as two reversible swimsuits. I jumped at the chance because I find it very rewarding to venture out of my comfort zone. And thanks to this collaboration, I was able to design the swimsuits of my dreams! These are elegant and comfortable pieces with a very 1970s look, totally in line with my mindset: being sexy with simplicity!

Is there any La Nouvelle item that stays with you all the time?

Whenever I’m in France, I take the opportunity to buy La Nouvelle lingerie. I really like bandeau bras, such as the Georgia bandeau bra, to wear in summer under slightly open shirts. I find that very sexy. And even though I don’t have a wedding planned, I’m eyeing up the pieces in the wedding collection because I really like the lace work at La Nouvelle.

The charms collection has a lucky theme, with the engraving ""Lucky you"", clover and a horseshoe. Has there ever been a stroke of luck that changed everything for you?

Oh yes! The day I won my Green Card in the lottery! That undeniably changed my life. To bring good luck into my daily life, I have lots of little rituals and protective jewellery. I strongly believe in their power. And I hope that the charms I have designed with Alix will bring good fortune to their owners.

The La Nouvelle x Ginette NY capsule collection will be available from 7 July 2025 from www.lingerielanouvelle.com and www.ginette-ny.com, as well as in the following stores:

LA NOUVELLE - 13, rue Decazes 13007 MARSEILLE

GINETTE NY - 66, rue des Saints Pères -75007 PARIS

GINETTE NY - 104, rue Vieille du Temple -75003 PARIS

GINETTE NY - 50, Cours Georges Clemenceau -33000 BORDEAUX

GINETTE NY - 8,rue Lepelletier - 59000 Lille GINETTE NY - 92A Avenue Louise - 1000 Brussels