Today we’d like to introduce you to Emeline Kuhner-Stout.
Hi Emeline, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My trajectory isn’t exactly linear, but whose is? I was born and raised in a small French town near Geneva in the Swiss Alps. Being so close to a United Nations hub, I grew up surrounded by international influence and diplomats working to improve the world. This became a dream of mine: travel the world, discover various cultures, and befriend people from all walks of life to foster peace. So, I attended law school as I prepared to become an agent for the UN. After studying briefly in the United States, meeting my future husband, fulfilling my childhood dream to work for the UN, a wedding, a few cross-Atlantic moves, and two babies, we’ve settled in Texas, working to grow Élastique Athletics. The idea of Elastique came to me as a busy new mom adapting to life in The States, struggling with not feeling like myself physically and not prioritizing my self-care. After using much of my precious and limited time trying the latest trends to look and feel better, I wasn’t finding a solution – especially one that was clean or non-invasive. So, I went on to work on crafting a wellness solution that not only worked but worked for the entirety of women’s busy lives. After four years, the first Elastique legging was born – L’Original – offering better health, beauty, and recovery with every wear. Today, we continue growing Elastique and recalibrating the performance apparel space, engineering solutions to holistic health and body wellness that fit seamlessly into your daily routine.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would say it’s been an adventure filled with surprises. These roads are never usually “smooth.” Having your life split by 5,000 miles isn’t always easy. But that is also why I decided to launch Élastique as a luxury concept for wearable self-care, where we source materials and savoir-faire (talent) from Europe. We work with manufacturing partners who have passed down their craft from generation to generation. And then, we proudly finish our garments in Texas and Portugal. It allows me to spend time with my children and family in France during the summer while I source materials, meet with designers, and build content, and we can put all of this work at Summer’s end. It also means a high-quality product made with a lot of courtship. And then, of course, being an entrepreneur, a wife, a mother, and a friend—all at the same time—is a challenge. I barely feel like I can get everything that needs to be done by the end of the day. I quickly learned that this lifestyle will entail many sacrifices, but it’s all for the greater good. We’re building unique solutions that women are in love with, and my daughters are learning about resilience, patience, passion, and determination. I often take them to trade shows and our pop-ups; they love it. They are my best sales help, and you should hear the jingles they come up with in the back of the car.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What am I most proud of? Having helped thousands of women feel better! I spent an hour on the phone today with a customer struggling with lymphedema. She told me she and her lymphatic therapist are impressed with her progress (measurably reduced swelling) since she started wearing our bra. I receive these kinds of testimonials every week, which fuels our team to continue. I set out on a mission to revolutionize compression wear to make it desirable and not dreadful, and our customer feedback confirms we are doing just that!
A unique aspect of my brand/work? Elastique occupies a unique space in the wellness category, sitting at the intersection of luxe apparel and performance. We offer cutting-edge compression garments that facilitate proper lymphatic flow, enabling our community to unleash their most potent built-in detox system while prioritizing their busy lifestyles. This helps support overall health, immunity, recovery, and beauty.
Unlike other compression garments, our garments feature premium, non-toxic fabric that improves lymphatic and blood flow, feels luxurious and supports the body. We use a patented MicroPerle technology precisely mapped to your lymphatic vessels paired with precise compression; this wearable system simulates a lymphatic drainage massage inspired by the timeless ‘Vodder Method’—as in, moving lymph fluid from congested areas to healthy lymph nodes where waste is flowed out. Even more, at Elastique, we’re powered by results. Our garments were clinically tested for solutions for healthier skin and circulation.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
All immigrants are risk-takers, and they make some of the greatest entrepreneurs. When you leave everything behind, you have no choice but to develop strong adaptability in any given situation. Moving to the US, 8 months pregnant and starting over was a challenge, but I learned so much from it. It helps you understand that “there is always a solution.” Then, starting Elastique, a wholly novel and ambitious concept, not knowing if and when it would come to fruition, is probably the biggest risk I undertook, but one that has taken me to some fantastic places like opening our retail account in the Cayman Islands and led me to meet some of the most extraordinary people like Gwyneth Paltrow. These past 10 years are filled with daily ups and downs, but you must learn to appreciate the journey as you focus on the destination.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elastiqueathletics.com
