Exploring Life & Business with Clemence Pariente Lorenzetti of Le Boudoir Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Clemence Pariente Lorenzetti.

Hi Clemence, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in the city of Bordeaux, in southwestern France. I was 17 when I moved to Paris. After a visit to a friend of mine who had moved to Echo Park, I fell in love with LA and flew back and forth for long and short stays for ten fun years. When I finished my Masters in poetry studies at La Sorbonne University, I left Paris for good and moved my entire life to sunny California. There, I joined a UCLA extension program studying marketing, which allowed me to work part-time for the art publisher Taschen. I absolutely adored the time I spent there, working with the creative minds of this iconic company. When the pandemic hit, I, like so many others, had to rethink my life: that is when the idea of starting my own business and being my own boss was born. Having always had a passion for fine lingerie and being a collector of vintage pieces myself, it became quite clear this is what I wanted to be in the business of.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
If my vision of what would Le Boudoir be was crystal clear, it was a hard process for me to build it from the ground since I was still at UCLA when I started working on the project. Finding the time to write essays, contact brands, talk with banks, and try and have a life of my own was extremely hard – and I still struggle to find some balance in all of that. What I did not foresee is how alone I felt at the beginning of my venture: first, because my entire family is back in France, and it was hard not to have to rely upon whenever I was filled with doubt and anxiety. Second, because I did not know who to ask for help or even how to delegate to people willing to give me a hand. Le Boudoir is pretty much my baby and it is hard to let go – even to get a good night of sleep and think more clearly in the morning!

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Le Boudoir Los Angeles ?
Le Boudoir is a boutique lingerie shop nestled in the heart of Echo Park, Los Angeles. Founded in 2022, it’s a place celebrating all womxn, from the lingerie amateur to the rare & emerging female designers. Because I believe in sustainability, it was important for me to offer a carefully curated selection of pieces from vintage finds to atelier brands. The majority of our brands come from Europe. Mainly France and they are all Female owned.

More than just selling lingerie, with Le Boudoir I wanted to create a safe space for womxn to come to hang out and have fun. I feel like lingerie stores can be stressful if you’re not familiar with it. I wanted Le Boudoir to be a place where you can come by yourself, with your friends or with your partner and have fun, look at books, chitchat, and just hang out. Le Boudoir is a bit of a little salon where you can drink a little expresso while trying on your favorite pieces from our curated selection. We carry a whole range of style, from white cotton panties to assless leather chaps. A little something for everyone and for whichever mood you might be in!

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Risk-taking has definitely been the keyword to everything. From starting my studies all over again to moving to LA to applying at Taschen and then finally starting my own business. I always go into things with no plan B, that’s how I work. It doesn’t mean that I have a crazy self-confidence, but that’s how I tackle my fears. By putting myself in risky situations where I can’t back up. When I signed my lease for Le Boudoir LA it was very much one of the biggest risks I have ever taken. I told myself “ok, now, I have no choice but to make it work.” I do that for everything, if I don’t know how to do it, it’s fine I will figure it out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://leboudoirlosangeles.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leboudoirlosangeles/

Image Credits
All photos shot by Noah Dye @noah.dye