From lingerie to glass: Mademoiselle Jo on designing differently
For Joan Bebronne, creativity has never belonged to just one discipline. After 25 years in the lingerie industry, the Belgian designer turned her long-standing passion for architecture, materials and objects into her own design practice, Mademoiselle Jo. Today, she works across glass, wood, stone, metal and leather, creating distinctive pieces that are made to last, adapt to different interiors and invite people to use them in their own way.
At the heart of her current work is glass, particularly Murano glass, whose changing reflections and shadows make her objects evolve with the light throughout the day. We spoke to Joan about the influence of fashion on her design process, working with craftspeople across Europe, the importance of timelessness and why being different does not necessarily mean being loud.
Joan, creativity seems to be the common thread running through your career. How did you make the move from fashion and lingerie design into furniture and objects?
I’ve always been drawn to creativity in all its forms. For me, it doesn’t really matter whether it’s furniture, jewellery, shoes, kitchens or music.
I initially studied fashion design and spent 25 years working in the lingerie industry. Alongside that, I was always drawn to architecture and interiors. I renovated several houses as a personal project, designing not only the spaces but also furniture and other elements myself. Over time, I realised that this was more than just a hobby. It was another way of expressing my creativity. After 25 years in lingerie, I felt ready for a new chapter. I wanted to create objects with a strong identity – pieces that feel poetic, unexpected and a little different from what you see everywhere else.
Your years in lingerie were very different from designing furniture. What has stayed with you from that time?
A very strong sense of detail. When you design a bra, for example, a piece of just 15 by ten centimetres can contain more than 25 different materials. Everything has to be precise: the colours have to match, the materials have to work together. If they don't, the result isn't beautiful and it isn't successful.
I still work with that level of attention today. Sometimes production doesn't turn out exactly as you imagined, but I always try to get as close as possible to the original idea.
Where do your ideas usually begin?
Most of the time, they come from a material or from an everyday situation. Visiting an artisan can also trigger a lot of ideas and emotions. Very often, it's the material itself or a technique that inspires me.
That's also why I don't start with a completely blank page and say, “I'm designing a chair.” I start with an idea, but then I follow where the process takes me. When I discover a technique, I think about what I can create with it.
Your work combines a very reduced aesthetic with something playful and poetic. What makes a design successful for you?
For me, timelessness is very important. I like designs that can be passed on to another generation. I have, for example, a light by Ingo Maurer at home that I've loved for decades. I want an object to be something you continue to like year after year, rather than something you replace when a trend changes.
That's why the shape sometimes needs to be quite pure. And the material has to be strong. If you want to keep something for 100 years, you need a material that can continue through the years.
Glass plays a major role in your current work. What fascinates you about it?
I work with many materials, including wood, stone, metal, leather and glass. Each one has its own particular qualities. With glass, I particularly love the way it interacts with light. You have the shape of the object, and then the light creates another colour and another shape on the floor or on the wall. It changes throughout the day. The object almost evolves because of the light. I really love this relationship between light, shadow and reflection. If I were a painter, I think I would work with light on objects, reflection and shadow, because everything is constantly moving.
You discovered Murano glass through a rather unexpected encounter. How did that come about?
A woman I met at Maison & Objet had seen what I was doing and told me that, if I ever wanted to work with glass, she could introduce me to people in Murano. So I went there to visit the artisans.
Originally, I wanted to create something quite different, but the technique and the people I met gave me many new ideas. I became particularly interested in cast glass and the way the material reflected the light. At the same time, I wanted to work with different shapes and colours without relying too heavily on expensive moulds.
So the material doesn't simply follow your design. It actually becomes part of the design process?
Exactly. I let the technique guide me. When I understand what a particular technique can do, I start thinking about what kind of design is possible with it.
Colour is also a very important part of my work. I develop my own colours throughout the collections, not only for glass. Choosing the right colour, the right gradient and how different colours work together is one of the most interesting parts of the job for me.
You also develop your ideas physically, rather than relying on digital 3D modelling. Why is that important to you?
Because I need to see the shape and the proportions in real life. I don't work with a 3D design programme. I create my designs in 3D, but physically, using cardboard, foam or similar materials.
That comes from my fashion background. When I was designing clothes, I often worked directly on the body rather than drawing everything flat on paper. That allows you to understand the volume and proportions much better. It's also important because development costs are high. I need to be quite sure about a project before I start developing it.
Many of your objects can be used or arranged in different ways. Why is this flexibility important to you?
I want everyone who buys one of my objects to be able to use it differently in their own interior and atmosphere. I'm not particularly interested in people following a trend. I like the idea that they choose something because they really like it and then make it their own.
I do the same thing myself. If I buy an object, I might change something about it or use it differently from how it was originally intended. So I try to give people the opportunity to adapt my designs to their own space. My furniture can work in a very traditional house, in a modern loft or somewhere completely different. It depends on how you make the object part of your own environment.
You work with craftspeople in Belgium and across Europe. What does that collaboration mean to you?
First of all, the artisans have to believe in the project. They have to like it and want to work on it. Otherwise, it's not possible to go further.
My products are very different, so I need different specialists for glass, stone, metal, wood, leather and painting. There isn't one factory that can do everything. Everyone has their own speciality.
I usually meet people directly in their ateliers. I explain the project, what I expect and why the small series mean that everything has to be very precise. I really enjoy meeting people who work with materials, whether they use their hands or machinery. I'm not interested in just one field. I like discovering what different materials and techniques can become when you use them in a different way.
Your work was recognised with the BLICKFANG Zurich Future Forward Award. What did that recognition mean to you?
I was so happy that BLICKFANG recognised my work.
The timing was also perfect because I want to enter the Swiss market. I don't have many shops in Zurich, so BLICKFANG is a great opportunity to show what I'm doing to people there, meet them and understand what they like and what they're looking for.
Is there one piece that is particularly close to your heart?
It's difficult to choose, but I would say the Toupy.
It's a suspended table that comes down from the ceiling and gives you a place to put your keys, glasses or whatever you want. There is really nothing else like it on the market, at least as far as I know. I hope I stay the only one doing it.
What I like about it is that it structures a room in a different way. Most tables come from the floor, so we already have a lot of things occupying the floor. Sometimes it's good to structure a space from the ceiling instead.
You can use the Toupy next to a bed, beside a sofa, in an entrance, in a shop window or at an office desk. It's a very flexible object.
If you want to experience Joans work in person, you’ll soon have the chance: Mademoiselle Jo will be exhibiting at BLICKFANG Zürich from 20 to 22 November 2026 at Kongresshaus. She’ll be bringing her latest designs to Zurich and, with them, her distinctive approach to materials, light and timeless design. For Joan, BLICKFANG is not only an opportunity to present her work, but also a chance to meet people, hear their reactions and discover what resonates with them. Get your tickets now!