What if second-hand were to take off thanks to new products? It may seem counter-intuitive, but the collaboration between lingerie brand RougeGorge and the young start-up AbracadaBra Lingerie gives cause for optimism. Partners since 2022—after RougeGorge spotted AbracadaBra on social media—the two companies have joined forces to drive the growth of second-hand lingerie in France.

It’s a challenge taken on head-on by Marie Thieffry and Margot Plus, the founders of AbracadaBra. Their company, founded in 2022 and based in Cysoing in northern France since 2024, stems from their reflections on how they use their own lingerie: most of it languishes in wardrobes, never seeing the light of day.

A collaboration across the entire RougeGorge network

At a time when slowing overall production has become necessary in the face of the climate emergency, giving a second life to objects and clothing, including lingerie, makes perfect sense. The two entrepreneurs then launched AbracadaBra, hosted by the EDHEC incubator in Roubaix for its first two years. The start-up organises the collection, cleaning using ozone technology, any necessary repairs and the resale of lingerie items such as bras, knickers, pyjamas and swimwear at reductions of up to 80%.

RougeGorge gets involved from the collection stage, focusing on bras only, given customers’ lingering reluctance towards second-hand knickers, as explained by Coralie Debruyne, Brand and Communications Director. The initiative enables women to drop off their unused lingerie at any of its 260 stores across France, 29 of which are equipped with collection points. Since March 2024, 45,000 bras from all brands (with the exception of ultra-fast-fashion brands) have been collected by RougeGorge and sent to AbracadaBra.

AbracadaBra, a Refashion award-winning start-up

Awarded €38,000 last October by the Refashion eco-organisation for its reconditioning challenge, the northern France-based company can stock up to 10,000 items. This inventory is sold via its e-commerce site and, since early 2025, in fourteen RougeGorge stores. Setting up these second-hand corners within the boutiques concerned is a challenge for the French brand and the subject of numerous tests. The brand must reassure customers about the cleanliness of the products and make them desirable.

The lingerie brand is thus making its network of stores available to AbracadaBra for collection and resale, giving it a presence on a different scale to its e-commerce site alone. This collaboration also benefits RougeGorge: it has enabled the brand to obtain two stars under the Positive Company label (France’s equivalent of B Corp) and strengthens its CSR strategy. The brand also offers a three-year guarantee against abnormal wear, applicable to its iconic styles, to the “Douce” range and, from March 2026, to the “Perfect” range.