In her old life, she could throw away her shirt if a button came off. This means that nothing predestined Elodie Naïm, better known under the pseudonym Dodynette, to exercise the strange profession of influencer… couture. However, as Christmas approaches and with the enthusiasm experienced by do it yourself for several years, the business manager, who also sells equipment, has no longer known where to turn: “We have to prepare the orders, respond to comments, prepare the next live performance,” says the 38-year-old mother. And above all, don’t disappoint the “Dodynette addicts” because if I’m here, it’s partly thanks to them! »
It must be said that in a few years, an impressive community has been created around the former educator of young children, who now juggles between her sewing machine and her smartphone. Because if it has long been relegated to the rank of grandma’s hobby, sewing is experiencing a second youth to the point of conquering social networks. All platforms combined, Dodynette is followed by 300,000 subscribers, mainly “women between 30 and 50 years old” who impatiently await her tutorials and scroll their screens in search of advice. “With her, it becomes super accessible, we learn techniques, it’s great,” assures a 24-year-old fan, who never misses a single post on Instagram. It’s always very, very well explained. So, we know we’re going to get there. »
“During confinement, it completely exploded”
It was while wanting to make a bib for her daughter that Elodie, then on maternity leave, discovered the world of sewing ten years ago. Encouraged by those close to her, she opened a Facebook page where she posted her first creations for children. She expanded her range with accessories, first put her patterns online for free, then sold her first kits…. “Until confinement when it completely exploded,” reports the young woman, who had in the meantime left her job to start her own business. People had taken out the machine to sew masks and wanted to go further. That’s where I started the lives, where we met every evening to sew a little. I was able to retain my audience who created a real emotional relationship with me. »
Beyond her caring and educational approach, Dodynette’s success also seems to lie in her style. Because if this self-taught woman now makes a living from her activity, and is about to hire her husband as her first employee, it is because she has been able to seduce her clients with her creations. Practical and colorful bags that she designed herself and that you can make yourself by purchasing patterns or kits, like this banana become its “iconic” model. “Every two months, I release something new: a model, a new fabric, an extra option… The real addicts buy everything and in 12 hours, it’s sewn!,” observes Elodie Naïm, who works from home, in Essonne. I have already sold tens of thousands of templates to the point where subscribers recognize each other by the bag they are carrying. »
Invited to numerous events and trade shows, such as this weekend at Créativa in Nantes, Dodynette has also had to get used to being greeted or photographed by fans, some visibly very moved. “People sometimes recognize me in the street, the last time it was in the toilets of a pizzeria,” she smiles. It’s weird but also nice, especially when someone says to me: “Thank you, thanks to you I succeeded.” »