Be.Cause, a Marseille-based voluntary organisation committed to helping women with cancer.

To mark Pink October, La Nouvelle has teamed up with the Marseille-based organisation Be.Cause to launch an exclusive Be.Cause club x La Nouvelle set that revisits our iconic Georgia design, adapting it to suit all women, including those who have undergone breast surgery.

We met Élodie Pierard, manager of l’Atelier du sourcil salons in Marseille and co-founder of the organisation, who told us more about her work and how this collaboration came about.

Could you tell us about how your organisation came to be and what drove you to set it up?

Be.Cause is an organisation that supports women affected by cancer from the time it is diagnosed until one year after the end of treatment. We offer them supportive care, i.e. non-medical care that helps them live better with their illness. I founded it in 2024 along with Léa Passamar, a physiotherapist specialising in sports care, and Amandine Di Nolfo, a PR manager. This initiative arose from our own experiences, and also from observations in the field. In my salons, I regularly met women with cancer who wanted to have permanent eyebrow make-up done, without knowing that this can only be done before chemotherapy. For her part, Léa noted that while doctors recommend regular physical activity, the options available are often unsuitable. Today, more and more young women are affected by cancer. Our aim is to offer them supportive care that is medically appropriate but, above all, that suits their lifestyle and tastes so as not to isolate them further.

What are the values that guide your work with women affected by cancer?

When a woman is diagnosed with cancer, she often experiences a significant drop in income. She then puts sport and appearance on the back burner, even though taking care of one’s body is fundamental to self-esteem. Our aim is therefore to offer our members completely free care. They only pay an annual membership fee of €25; the remainder is funded through the events we organise throughout the year, as well as the support of our patrons and partners.

In practical terms, how do you support women during their care pathway?

We get involved right from the diagnosis stage, offering them beauty treatments such as permanent eyebrow make-up in our Atelier du Sourcil salons, Pilates classes at the Tonic Pilates studio founded by Léa, and access to all our events. The body is changed by the disease. The loss of eyebrows has a significant effect on the appearance of the eyes: permanent make-up can then provide valuable psychological support. For its part, physical activity is essential for eliminating toxins, regaining energy during chemotherapy, or getting back mobility after a mastectomy. But it must be suitable. That is why we offer tailor-made Pilates sessions, with movements adjusted to each individual situation. And all our services are provided in a caring, beautiful and, above all, collective setting, to combat the feeling of stigma often associated with the disease.

How many women currently benefit from your support?

Since our inception, we have provided long-term support to 72 women. Our challenge now is to raise awareness, particularly when the diagnosis is announced. To that end, we work closely with nurse coordinators and oncologists from institutions such as the Paoli-Calmettes Institute, Clairval Hospital, Saint-Joseph Hospital and the Marseille Provence Breast Institute.

You have decided to collaborate with La Nouvelle to design a lingerie set suitable for women who have undergone breast surgery. How did this idea come about?

All three of us are loyal customers of La Nouvelle. We love their lingerie, which is both comfortable and elegant, to instantly enhance any outfit. A meeting with founders Alix and Aurélie, and Lola, head of manufacturing, made the collaboration an obvious choice. The La Nouvelle team had already been working for several months on developing a post-operative line for women affected by breast cancer, by revisiting their iconic Georgia comfort bra, among others.

Their desire to redesign their bestseller immediately appealed to us, as it reflects our entire philosophy: ensuring that illness does not relegate these women to the background. The collaboration has resulted in an exclusive Be.Cause Club x La Nouvelle set, consisting of a comfort bra and Georgia briefs in a unique print, limited to 200 pieces. Our collaboration is a natural fit and stems from a shared commitment to women with breast cancer, as La Nouvelle will also soon be launching its complete post-operative line (La Nouvelle Care, available mid-october), consisting of two types of comfort bra, one of which can accommodate a removable prosthesis, as well as a briefs design.

What were the priority needs of women that the design of this line seeks to address?

The main expectations related to comfort and soft materials, as their skin is fragile and often marked by scars. Lola had already made significant progress in designing the post-operative line when we were asked for feedback from the field. We had our members test the prototypes. Those trials identified a crucial point: in women who have undergone a single mastectomy, there is often asymmetry between the natural breast and the reconstructed breast, which can make them self-conscious. To remedy that, Lola has designed removable bra pads in different sizes. The result is lingerie combining comfort and style, allowing women to feel beautiful and confident. And this is essential: even when you are ill, access to feminine and elegant lingerie boosts confidence and changes how you see yourself and how others see you.

How can people support your organisation?

First and foremost, we would like to commend La Nouvelle for its rare and exemplary commitment. Not only did they create this design especially for us—using fabric that was not sourced from dormant stock but purchased specifically for the occasion—but they also gave it to us as a gift. That means that all the profits from the sale of the 200 sets will go to our organisation. We will also receive a percentage on sales of the post-operative line throughout the year. Anyone can support Be.Cause by purchasing these designs, making a donation via Hello Asso on our website, or following our news on Instagram to participate in our events. We are organising an event in Marseille on 17 October, where you can support us by taking part in Pilates classes and finding out more about our collaboration with La Nouvelle. You can register via this link right HERE.

Thank you, Elodie. To wrap up, what message would you like to send to women who are currently battling this disease?

I want them to know that they are not alone. We are here to support them. Cancer isolates people; that is a reality. If, for an hour or an afternoon, we can bring them comfort, then we want to commit ourselves fully to doing so.

Discover and support Be Cause through Instagram

Buy the exclusive Be Cause x La Nouvelle set on Hello Asso

Photo Credit - Charlotte Lapalus.