Jeanne Damas is synonymous with French girl style. The model and designer founded her fashion and beauty brand Rouje in 2016, selling silky blouses, cardigans, midi skirts, and jeans — along with her signature red lip — for those wanting to emulate the effortlessly chic aesthetic.
“Since I was young, the press has called me the ultimate Parisian or French girl. It’s been good for my business, but it’s never been a marketing plan,” Damas says.
Now, a decade on, Rouje is planning its next growth phase that graduates beyond the French girl look while staying true to the founder’s roots. The brand, which reports revenues in the eight figures, is focusing on scaling its international business. In terms of sales, 55% are made in France, compared to 45% elsewhere. Beauty is another growth opportunity for Rouje, currently accounting for 10% to 15% of the business. Damas wants to increase that to 20% in the next three years, which is where new product launches come in: Rouje is introducing a blush in April, as well as accessories and haircare products.
“Blush and lipstick launches complement the wardrobe and strengthen our customers’ daily rituals. Beauty increases purchase frequency, average order value, and customer loyalty,” says Damas. Her beauty line, Les Filles en Rouje, also includes lipsticks, eye products, and skincare. The goal is for blush to contribute up to 3% of beauty revenue in the first year, and to represent 10% of the category after that. “The beauty category is a strategic growth driver, because it increases purchase frequency, customer loyalty, average order value, and overall engagement,” she says.
The brand is also returning to hospitality with the opening of Café Rouje in May, inside the brand’s boutique on Rue Bachaumont. Damas — whose parents owned a restaurant — had stepped into this category before, with Chez Jeanne in 2019, but that bistro closed during the pandemic. Café Rouje is a brand exercise in getting closer to the customer, Damas says. “It’s really important for me as a digital native to have my store or café come to life, because I can connect with the community.”
Influencer brands can hit a plateau when they reach the 10-year mark, as new labels and talents enter the fray. It’s a decision Damas has pondered over in the last few years, but she’s not ceding control anytime soon. Rouje has no outside investors and is entirely founder funded, “to control our pace of growth, product development, and brand image”, Damas says. “It’s scary to have a brand be about one person, but when we look back on the [data], the brand is stronger when I’m attached to it because people follow me for a certain style.”
Looking ahead to the next decade, Damas is focused on getting Rouje’s operations right, and plans to be even more hands-on. She has discovered that the success of the business depends on her, especially in a saturated market where every online voice has the access to start a fashion label. Does the French girl’s aesthetic appeal still hold? Damas says her customer base is growing, with first-time purchasers accounting for 10% of the brand’s revenue in 2025, and 5% of those being Gen Zs.
Damas, who is 34, has also evolved her product assortment to reflect where she is in life. She launched the brand’s Big Bag satchel after having a baby, as well as a pair of soft jersey pants. Les Filles en Rouje’s skincare assortment is timed to what she says her skin needs as it matures. “My customers are now mothers or have careers, too,” Damas says.
To further connect with her customers, Damas is in the midst of working on a Rouje mobile app.
“Mobile already represents the majority of our traffic and a significant share of our sales. Developing an app allows us to create a more direct and personalized relationship with our customers. It gives us the ability to deliver a smoother shopping experience, faster navigation, better product discovery, and more advanced clienteling through CRM and push notifications,” she says. “It is also a way to strengthen retention and loyalty by creating a space dedicated to the Rouje community.”
The app allows Damas to better control how consumers experience the brand. “Social platforms are extremely powerful discovery channels for brands like Rouje, but they are rented environments,” she says, noting that the app will be a space controlled exclusively by Rouje, which will build on the customer relationship. Social media drives inspiration and traffic, “but apps tend to generate higher engagement, stronger retention, and higher customer lifetime value. Customers who download an app are usually the most loyal ones, and they tend to purchase more frequently.”
Damas still plays up to her given epithet as the ultimate French girl, but she understands that archetype has become somewhat dated in 2026, as ideas around beauty standards evolve and where stars like Françoise Hardy and Catherine Deneuve aren’t the only poster girls for Parisian beauty. To Damas, French girl beauty can be summed up in three words: confidence, authenticity, and personality. “It’s about not wanting to look like someone else and embracing your identity and peculiarities like a big nose or crooked teeth — just your natural looks without surgery,” she says.
Damas is aware that she’ll always be associated with the Parisian girl style, and she yields it proudly, in many cases it has been an advantage. The founder recalls the quiet luxury craze being a pivotal moment, where one of her team members suggested the brand should soften its aesthetic. “It’s bullshit,” she says, pointing out that Rouje’s packaging is made up of vintage wrapping paper featuring gold stripes and other prints inspired by her grandmother.
“The biggest challenge has been staying authentic to my style and French roots, even if the brand now has 100 employees,” Damas says.
