Dolce+Chou - Empower Women with Ethical Fashion

The Dolce+Chou Vision

Dolce+Chou was founded to help more women empower their careers, fulfil their potential, and achieve their dreams. We think that if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing with confidence and style. So we’re creating high-quality products to help busy women to be at their all-day best. Products that combine effortless chic, practical comfort, and timeless style. To achieve that we are collaborating with Italian artisans to create handmade products that reflect skills and craftsmanship of Italian artisans.  

What happened during COVID at Dolce+Chou?

During this global pandemic, the original shoe collection planned for this year has been put on hold due to the manufactory lock-down and to the pandemic economic impact. We had to start from scratch with a new collection, more relevant for this period. 

To support our project and continue to support local Italian artisans we partnered with a Luxury Italian artisans' atelier to create a collection of Premium Face Masks. The Premium Face Masks are helping us to raise funding to finance the new sample round.

Why Crowdfunding?

We founded our first months mainly with personal saving aiming to launch our first product for the summer of 2020. Due to COVID, we had to postpone our launch due to the manufactory lock-down and on the impact on the fashion industry. Our comfortable block heel for busy women to go to work is not relevant anymore for this season, so we have started from scratch our shoe development process that now we have to re-found in order to finance a new sample round. Crowdfund is a great platform to share our story with our customers and to allow them to start supporting our project.

How is the money being spent?

We will use the funding to finance the sample production of the new shoe collection. Due to COVID, we had to pivot our initial shoe line to a new model that is more relevant for the current time. 

Our initial collection was focus on creating the most comfortable block heel for women to go to work. A shoe that combines an exquisite ballerina construction, typical of an Italian shoemaker, with an innovative biodegradable leather to create a light and flexible shoe that cocoon the feet. With the current increase of WFH, we thought that a block heel was not relevant anymore and that women need shoes that could be worn both at home and in the workplace. We are now working on readapt  the same technologies and features already developed in the previous sample round to a new shoes model that could be used both at home and in the office.

Your Reward for Supporting us: Premium Face Masks 

Thanks to the collaboration between an Italian luxury atelier and the indications developed by the University of Bari, we created a premium mask that follows the new WHO guidance. We wanted to be sure to reward our supporter with an high quality product aim to reduce the spread of the virus.

Our premium mask is designed to sit comfortably over the nose and mouth and to give a perfect fit thanks to adjustable elastic ear loops and nose wire. 

This super soft and stretchy mask has three layers of protection: water-resistant lycra outer, antibacterial filter, Oeko-Tex® certified cotton near the face to provide the best protection and comfort. 

The mask has a built-in filter pocket and it comes with 6 antibacterial filters. 

Features

• Made of three layers
• Super soft and stretchy
• Synthetic water-resistant outer that limits droplets reaching nose and mouth
• Antibacterial filters made of polypropylene, which scores highly for filtration and breathability
• Oeko-Tex® certified inner cotton layer for a final absorbent layer next to the face
• Built-in filter pocket
• Adjustable elastic ear loops
• Nose wire
• It comes with 6 antibacterial filters
• Designed and Made in Italy
• Product Details

Compositions:

Face Cover:

• Outer: Lycra fabric. 80% Polyamide, 20% Elastane.
• Middle: Antibacterial filter with 3 layers. 
• Lining: 100% Cotton. Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 Certified. 
• Fit width across face 20cm. Length upwards over nose 15cm.

Antibacterial filter:

• First Layer: PP spunbonded nonwoven fabric 100%. Water-resistant, antibacterial. 
• Second Layer: PP meltblown nonwoven fabric 100%. 
• Third Layer: PP spunbonded nonwoven fabric 100%. Water-resistant, antibacterial.

Package Include

Each Face Mask comes with 6 replaceable filters.

Each Extra Filter box contains 5 replacement filters. 

Sizing and Shipping

The Face Mask are unisex. Dimension: Fit width across face 20cm - length upwards over nose 15cm. We will deliver the Face Mask with Royal Mail First Class in the UK.

Hello! Meet the Founder.

Caterina studied physics in Italy, and in 2016 completed her Ph.D. in Physics and Chemistry in Paris. She then worked as an analyst for a data consultancy in London. She quickly learned that, whether in the laboratory or the office, in Paris or London, is at her best meant feeling comfortable, confident, and stylish. The experience of pursuing her professional goals convinced her of the need for Dolce+Chou. When the pressure was on it, were also her clothes and shoes to give her the confidence she needed. So Dolce+Chou is much more than a business - it's a vision they want other women to share.