Garance Doré represents a new generation of women embracing age, and with it, finding the power of reinvention. She was one of the original "influencers," launching her namesake blog in 2006, which evolved into a formidable media platform. Then in 2019, she walked away from it all to take a break and reset personally and professionally.

It's not easy, but sometimes moving forward requires the courage to leave something else behind. This year Garance reemerged, stepping away from fashion and introducing the world to her skincare brand Doré, launching a podcast, and revisiting her roots as a writer.

"It's a very personal thing, walking away, but I do know that in order to start, you have to feel it deep in your gut, because the first years—sometimes decades, are the wildest, sometimes most harrowing ride," Garance shared. "Having worked close to brands for years I knew that, and I wouldn't have done it without the strength and drive of my business partner, Emily Yeston."

The Beauty Pivot

With the launch of her Doré skincare brand this summer, Garance returned to her French roots, merging her love of simplicity and nature with a desire to deliver clean, gentle, and effective made-in-France skincare accessible to everyone. The brand's simplicity, curated product assortment inspired by French pharmacies, and thoughtful content creation make Doré a respite in an industry moving at the speed of TikTok chasing a viral moment.

Speaking about the cacophony of the current beauty landscape, Garance said, "We are very rooted in French beauty, where it was always all about word of mouth, enduring formulas and concepts, affordability… as opposed to trends and splashy marketing. Our mission is clear— we want to bring simplicity and efficacy and that's one of the ways we do, I believe, cut through the noise."

She continued, "Holding your own product in your hand, and using it every day, feels so special. We created Doré because it would add to people's lives, so it has a lot of meaning to us."

In the first 100 days after launching, the brand surpassed $100K in revenue on its website and expanded into retail, rolling out in nine Credo locations. Garance shared some early insight, saying, "We have been blown away by how quickly customers are coming back to Doré after their first purchase. In less than six months, we're already seeing a return customer rate of nearly 60%. To us, this means that once customers try product, they are seeing results. This is something we're incredibly proud of."

The Le Rendezvous Podcast

Internationally recognized for her illustrations, street-style photographs, and writing, Garance is the consummate storyteller, tackling the spoken word in the next step on her road to reinvention. Her new podcast Le Rendezvous will spark meaningful conversations about the depth of beauty and everyday life during each 30-minute episode.

For Garance, everything is connected. "The world of Doré has always had, as part of its DNA, the idea of proximity and approachability, whether it was coming from people whose photos I would just take on the streets, sharing my stories or, later, interviewing people as candidly as possible—and in that sense, I was missing the long format to carry over these values. The podcast is a wonderful outlet for that!"

She continued, "I love the medium! I have always listened to radio and loved the power and intimacy a simple voice can bring—which is one of the reasons the podcast isn't even filmed. I want it to feel as relaxed and intimate as it possibly can."

The solo podcast allows Garance an outlet to share her stories, whether lessons learned, thoughts on love, dating, beauty, diving into wellness trends, or anything else that comes to mind. She wants each episode to feel like a chat with your best friend, because that’s her favorite podcast format.

Plans for the Future

Garance shared that 2023 will be about expansion for Doré, with a new product launching in January and focusing on new markets and retail partnerships.

"We knew we had created a great line—we really wanted the formulas to be more than excellent—but you still get surprised when people really get it, and when they find ways to use the products that we hadn't even thought of!"