“I started by saying to myself ‘we’ll see where this takes me'”… Today, this Drômoise is at the head of a leather goods house which generates nearly €500,000 in turnover per year. Made in France in Romans-sur-Isère, it has even won over several royal figures.
It’s not just fairy tales that make you dream. Some true stories can inspire entire generations and even win over the most disenchanted individuals. That of Tine Collard has also been the subject of several articles around the world.
“Burgundian by birth”this 45-year-old from Drôme gave up everything to embark on her crazy fashion adventure. With €5,000 in her pocket, she managed to transform her project into a real gold mine: her brand generates an annual turnover of €500,000. Financial prosperity which results from a “celebrity effect”: over the years, stars from the four corners of the world have worn his creations, contributing to their desirability. Among them, Elodie Gossuin and Rania from Jordan. Exclusively for the Women’s Journalthe founder confides.
Tine recognizes him; her “atypical journey” can be confusing. Today at the head of Nodie’sa bag house adored by royalty, the businesswoman cut her teeth far from the world of leather goods.
“I didn’t have a diploma, I started from scratch”she confides. Holder of an Art certificate in ceramics, she then became a mosaic tiler on construction sites. “That was his future,” until an accident shatters everything. At 27, Tine finds herself left behind – back to square one. For 3 years, she will be a workshop facilitator for a creative leisure brand… until the day she comes across an advert that sounds like a second chance. She then left her permanent contract for a 3-week leather goods training course, without a safety net and with only one certainty: “the desire to learn.” She ultimately stayed there for 9 years..
There, she went through all the leather expertise trades. It was by noticing that many unused leathers were destined for destruction that she began to question “the revaluation of materials, upcycling” and imagine Nodie’s. “With what I have in my hands, this know-how, the knowledge of leathers, ‘how can I use it to make luxury accessible and elegance affordable and responsible?'”
A human adventure from A to Z. Her husband Thibaut, who has supported her on the digital side since the beginning, is today her partner. Former leatherworker colleagues, met at the subcontractor who trained her, joined her teams a few years later. In 2024, more than 200 strangers join forces in a prize pool Ulule to donate €26,000 to the brand – a prize pool which is still in the top 10 of the platform today.
Ultimate consecration: following a post LinkedIn Or Nodie’s shares the difficulties specific to a young brand, Rania’s personal shopper from Jordan takes the opportunity to establish contact. “He had been following us for some time. When he saw the post, he sent us a message explaining that he wanted to give us a helping hand, that our designs were very beautiful, that he knew the Queen’s tastes well and that he wanted to introduce the brand to her.” This is how Rania from Jordan will carry their iconic bag in March 2025. She will show off another model 11 months later.
With a production of 50 bags per month, Nodie’s quickly increases to 55 per week. A growth which in no way hinders the quality of its pieces: manufacturing is done in Romans-sur-Isère by 6 leather makers, always with this desire to promote French know-how.
