Nelly-Claire Rodi was born in Angers in Her father was a business executive, and her mother was Swiss, but so enamored of France that she acquired French nationality, became the mayor of her village in the Paris region and ended her political career as a senator. From her socially conscious mother, Nelly-Claire inherited a fighting spirit. She became a woman with a strong personality and a visionary outlook who always wanted to use her voice to defend creativity and the dialogue between disciplines and opinions.
And she earned her stripes working side by side with prominent leaders. At Prisunic she discovered a fashion industry being developed to make attractive goods accessible to the greatest number of people. Appointed Fashion Director for the International Institute for Cotton in , Nelly-Claire created the first trend forecasting tools for weavers and manufacturers and organized events promoting that natural fiber around the world. With her CIM assistant Li Edelkoort , she created the first audiovisual presentations of trends and introduced the first brainstorming sessions bringing together young designers, sociologists and textile specialists.
During that period, the CIM provided guidance to more than international companies. She innovated with an original working method built on crossing design, marketing and consumer attitudes. In addition, she expanded her fashion trend detection techniques to encompass individual lifestyles beauty, home decor, design, food, art de vivre to help brands understand the times and create their futures.
And to delve even deeper into possible future scenarios, she put them in touch with philosophers, sociologists, artists and other experts. In and without a local partner, Nelly-Claire opened an office in Japan ; and throughout the s she developed a vast network of agents around the world. NellyRodi trendbooks would eventually be distributed in 20 countries , and today the agency is a world leader in trend forecasting. That same year NellyRodi published her new trendbooks. They were designed as big directories filled with photos, color palettes, sketches, collection drawings and reference images.
More than 1, clients, especially in the United States and Japan, used them for inspiration. In an effort to return a leadership role to the French capital, she worked under the direction of Paris City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce, bringing together different professionals from the fashion, accessories and home decor sectors. For several years in January and September, Paris celebrated creativity with a program highlighting the department stores, retailers, museums and professional trade shows that attract thousands of visitors and journalists from all over the world.
