Amélie & Djelissa, the vision behind Alaena's new identity

On the occasion of the launch of our new universe, we met Amélie and Djelissa, founders of Odds studio. They share the dialogue they engaged in with the brand and how an identity is revealed, accurately translating the encounter between science and life.

Amélie, Djelissa, who are you?

Amélie & Djelissa: We are the founders of Odds, a studio born from our friendship and our desire to build a common practice around visual identity.

How did this duo come about?

Amélie & Djelissa: It began with a rather improbable encounter in 2017, in a car in Los Angeles, and a real friendly love at first sight.
We jumped in without too many questions; everything flowed, and here we are 5 years later.

If you hadn't chosen this profession, what would you have done? 

Djelissa: Both of us have a soft spot for the hospitality industry and places that create memories. Amélie would undoubtedly have opened a chip shop inspired by her native North, and I would have found myself behind the wheel of a small ice cream truck. That was my childhood dream, and it never really left me. Perhaps it will be our joint retirement project, who knows :)

Amélie, does carrying life influence your way of looking at the world and creating?

Amélie: Looking at the world, absolutely. I’m not naturally stressed, but since I’ve been carrying life, many things seem even lighter, almost futile. It helps me to step back and remain very optimistic about life in general. However, I’m not sure it influences my way of designing an identity. Hormones, on the other hand, give a lot of energy… so I’m quite efficient!

In your profession, you give birth to identities. In your opinion, is an identity drawn or gradually revealed?

Amélie & Djelissa: That's a difficult question. We believe an identity is both drawn and revealed. It gradually takes shape through exchanges, reflection, and the many decisions that shape a project.
Our role is primarily to listen, observe, and ask the right questions until something that was already there, sometimes almost intuitively, emerges. Once revealed, the identity continues to evolve as the brand grows and adopts its own codes. That's also why we like to say that we are, in a way, "midwives": we don't create an identity from scratch; we accompany its birth.

What was your first impression when you discovered Alaena?

Amélie & Djelissa: What struck us from the start was this scientific rigor, but also the softness and humanity that emanate from it. Meeting Anne, Sylvie, Alaia, and the whole team, we understood that this sincerity was at the heart of everything Alaena does.

Discover in this article, What we refuse in our formulas: the dermatological vision of "Primum non nocere"

What were the biggest challenges of this rebranding? 

Amélie & Djelissa: We sought to preserve the simplicity and restraint characteristic of Alaena, as well as the people who embody it. It was essential for us to remain true to this essence, without trying to make it more demonstrative.
The quality of the skincare and Dr. Sylvie Peres' research speak for themselves. The identity had to reflect this same discreet elegance: a brand that inspires confidence without ever needing to do too much.

What did you try to preserve at all costs?

Amélie & Djelissa: A rebranding is always a delicate exercise. You have to find the right balance between a brand's heritage and what it still has to say. With Alaena, the challenge was not to invent a new story, but to reveal with greater accuracy the one that already existed.The old identity was very minimalist, but it didn't tell the whole richness of the brand. We sought to give it more depth by creating codes unique to it: a timeless and recognizable logo, an iconic color, a graphic language at the crossroads of science and life, and a more assertive voice. All of this, without ever losing what makes Alaena's essence: this family story, the trust built over the years, and a discreet elegance that doesn't need to do too much.

What do you hope people will feel when they discover this new identity?

Amélie & Djelissa: Above all, we hope to inspire trust.

We wanted every detail to contribute to telling this story and make people want to incorporate the brand into their daily lives.

After several months spent alongside Alaena, what did you learn about beauty that you hadn't suspected before?

Amélie & Djelissa: Scientific research is often contrasted with something very cold, very clinical, whereas by working on Alaena, we realized that there was a lot of poetry in biology, cells, tissues, materials...

Which Alaena product or formula spoke to you the most, and why?

Amélie: For my part, it is by far the Peeling aux acides de fruits (Fruit Acid Peel).
I had never used a product with such a particular texture: both creamy and almost gel-like. Its color is sublime, its smell fantastic, it is very pleasant to apply and does not aggress the skin as some peels can. It's a real favorite.

Djelissa: I won't be original, but the fruit acid peel is also my favorite product :) That said, I also have a real soft spot for the Huile de soin (Treatment Oil). Its scent is completely addictive, and it's the kind of product you want to use as much because you love the ritual as because it leaves the skin soft.

In your opinion, what does a place reveal about a brand that its visual identity alone cannot convey? 

Amélie & Djelissa: A place engages all the senses. The materials, the light, the scents, the attention to detail, the people who inhabit it… everything contributes to telling a brand's story.It reveals everything that a visual identity alone cannot express. When you step through the door of an Alaena spa, you understand that its identity is not limited to what you see: it is lived. The place doesn't repeat it; it embodies it.

In an increasingly digital world, what importance do you give to life, intuition, and emotion in your work?

Amélie & Djelissa: An essential place. Of course, our work is based on strategic thinking, but we always leave plenty of room for intuition. Working as a duo forces us to constantly confront our perspectives, and it is often in these exchanges that the most accurate decisions emerge. Some are rationally justifiable; others simply stem from a feeling. We sense that a color, a typography, a composition, or a word is right. This creates an emotion in us, and over time, we have learned to trust this intuition. It is, moreover, what brought us together, and it continues to guide our creative process today.

Has there been a particular encounter, place, or experience that left a lasting impression on you?

Amélie: It goes back a bit, but I think it's one of the experiences that marked my creative journey the most. My parents enrolled me in the Beaux-Arts when I was 6 or 7, and I stayed there until the end of middle school. Every Wednesday afternoon, I spent hours painting, drawing, sculpting, doing photography, architecture, or art history. I loved it. I loved experimenting, learning, creating, watching what others did, manipulating different materials and tools. I think that's where I understood, quite early on, what I wanted to do later. I even remember discovering the first versions of Photoshop on the first glossy white iMacs. At the time, it seemed completely magical to me. In retrospect, I think those years taught me something that still stays with me today: never be afraid to explore different disciplines. Our job isn't just about designing logos. You have to be curious about everything: architecture, cinema, photography, literature, objects, fashion… Everything ends up nourishing our perspective and, in one way or another, our projects.

Djelissa: I've had the chance to live and work in several cities – Los Angeles, Lisbon, Brussels, then Paris – and I believe each one taught me a different way of looking at things. Beyond the places themselves, it was especially the encounters, conversations, and experiences that broadened my perspective and opened new avenues. Looking back, I realize that these different chapters of my life have profoundly influenced how I inhabit the world and now fuel my creative process within the studio.

Do you need silence, movement, meetings, or solitude to create?

Amélie: We constantly need discoveries: visiting a place, a restaurant, a café, a flea market, traveling… That's what fuels our creativity.
Then, when it comes to creating, personally, I need to get into my bubble, with my headphones on or sometimes in silence.
It's even the only time Djelissa and I don't talk to each other anymore.

Djelissa: We both need movement to nourish our perspective. I'm easily distracted by what's around me (which is sometimes a problem!), but that's precisely where many ideas are born.
However, we also need calm and solitude to let them emerge and take shape. Then comes the moment when our two perspectives meet: it's often in this exchange that ideas find their accuracy.
It's a mix of all four, ultimately!

What are the latest things that have amazed you?

Amélie: I had been to the Jean Arp Foundation in Meudon several times, but I returned a few weeks ago and I am still just as amazed.
Jean Arp's house and his wife's, his studio, his garden... Everything is ultimately quite simple, almost modest. And yet, the sculptures, the paintings, the curves, the play of light create an incredibly soft and unique atmosphere. You feel strangely peaceful there. And if there's sunshine, it's even more beautiful, the shadows almost become works in their own right.
And then there's Arco, Ugo Bienvenu's animated film. It had been a long time since I had been so moved.I rarely cried in front of so much beauty, whether in the visual approach, the story, the dialogues, the messages, the music, it was a real shock.

Djelissa: A very recent trip to Cornwall in England, where a friend has moved. The nature there is breathtaking, between the cliffs, the green and wild nature, the vast turquoise beaches, and all the picturesque little villages with English charm. I also visited the house of Barbara Hepworth, a great British sculptor, whose house-studio is located there. Her garden overlooks the sea and her sculptures wander there; it's a magical and very soothing place. And then there was the best vanilla ice cream of my life, tasted in a historic ice cream parlor that has only offered one flavor for almost 80 years. A simple scoop topped with clotted cream.

What is the biggest misconception about creativity?

Amélie & Djelissa: Creativity is above all a matter of attention, curiosity, and time. We often like to believe that it is innate. Yet, we think it's more about an appetite for the world.
It feeds on what we observe, what touches us, what questions us. Like living things, it demands care.
It's a daily exercise that gradually shapes our perspective and nourishes our way of creating.

What place does beauty hold in your life?

Amélie: If we're talking about beauty in the cosmetic sense, it has always held an important place.My mother instilled in me the habit of taking care of my skin very early on.
I used to watch her apply her creams, her oils, follow her ritual, and I naturally reproduced those gestures.Today, it has become a real moment for me. Of course, there's the act of taking care of one's skin, but it's especially a break.
A moment to slow down a bit, to take time for oneself, in days that often go by very quickly.

Djelissa: For me, it holds an important place, but in a very broad sense. I am someone who observes a lot. Beauty often hides in the details:
a gesture, an object, a well-set table, a couple on a cafe terrace, the way light transforms a place throughout the day…I believe it's a form of gratitude to take the time to see these things and surround oneself with them.