Mero, in Spanish (even in Italian), means “simple”, “pure”, or “authentic”… like the products we develop. The expression “el mero mero”, used a lot in Mexico, means the “great manitou”, the spiritual leader, the one we respect. Later, we learned from our Japanese partner that over there, “mero mero” means “love at first sight”, strong feelings of love …

If we had tried to do it on purpose, we would not have succeeded!

And as a tribute, “Chef” is the name the founder’s son gave to his first favorite stuffed animal, his “MeroMero” among all the others. We simply removed the “El” to stay as neutral as possible. Make sure that you pronounce it French style by not rolling the “R” …

The term “active parents” includes all those young parents who continue living their lives even once they have a kid. They work, of course, but they’re always on the move, and love to travel and continue exploring the world with their kids. They need solutions that cater to their active lives in the broad sense of the term, as well as to their sense of style, and their values. Being a parent means being lucky enough to pass on your values ​​and influence future generations. At MeroMero, we primarily target active parents who are looking for products that can adapt to their daily lives on the fly, whether they are with or without their kids.

But rest assured, you don’t need to have kids to use our products!

Obviously not, and that’s the idea: to create products capable of meeting a parent’s needs, but also appeal to anyone who doesn’t have kids. Our bags definitely don’t look like baby changing bags, even if that’s what they’re designed for. When we develop a bag, we also think of all those “childless” moments: roaming the city, cycling, hiking, taking photos… All our bags are designed to have several uses and last as long as possible.

We named our first bag “Clem & Léon” after the chameleon, a reptile that changes color to adapt to its surroundings. It is also a nod to Clémence and Léon, two children who directly inspired the design and our decision to make this first product, the starting point of the MeroMero adventure. For other products: Squamish, Paquier, Semnoz, Cham, Tofino, these are all places or cities that have made an impression on us during our travels. Lark Straps are named after the “lark’s foot” knot that we use to attach them.

MeroMero was born in Annecy, between lake and mountains, where Hélène, the founder, has been living for more than 10 years, as well as Quentin, our “digital manager”. Susi, meanwhile, although she also lived in Annecy, has now returned to live in Germany.

All of our products are “eco” designed in France, and more specifically in our office in Annecy. We are fortunate to be located in a very active area where many companies have also taken up residence. We are also members of the networkOutdoor Sport Valley which brings together all the companies in the Outdoor sector in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region. For manufacturing, we work almost daily with our partner in Vietnam. We work a lot by video, emails and even WhatsApp to develop prototypes and prepare for production. Once a year, we go there to finalize the prototypes and develop new products.

After having had it manufactured exclusively in France and Europe for the first production (2016), we decided, at the end of 2018, to work with a Japanese partner, located in Vietnam. This is the only solution we have found to continue to offer you products that are both technical, eco-responsible and at an acceptable price.

Our bags and accessories are therefore manufactured by a Japanese service provider based in Ho Chi Minh, in the south of Vietnam. We chose it because it specializes in technical products: paragliding sails and harnesses, climbing harnesses, camping furniture and backpacks. We do not hesitate to work with other brands in the Outdoor industry to share certain costs of production, purchasing of raw materials, transport of goods or logistics… But when possible, we try to find partners in France and Europe for products that are “simpler” to manufacture.

Logically, we select materials and fabrics primarily from suppliers close to the place of manufacture. For production “made in Europe”, we had therefore succeeded in sourcing everything in France and Europe. But when we decided to work with Vietnam, we had to find new partners locally: Vietnam (leather, aluminum buckles), Korea (waxed cotton, recycled nylon), Taiwan (recycled nylon and polyester), Japan (zips) and China (loops).

It’s hard to say that 100% of the materials used in our bags are eco-responsible (what does an eco-responsible material mean?). In any case, when we select a new fabric, buckles, leather, labels, we ask, for equivalent technicality, the “most responsible” solutions possible. That is to say: REACH, sustainable, recycled, and certified (Bluesign® or OekoTex®). If it fits in the budget, we do not even ask for the price of the conventional equivalent. If it doesn’t fit (which is often the case, but less and less) we compromise. That’s what we had to do with our nylon liners. We preferred to choose a 50% recycled rip-stop nylon (therefore very resistant), rather than a 100% recycled polyester or organic cotton, which is more fragile and more expensive.

But with each development, our products use more and more materials that respect people and the environment. The main material is now in 100% recycled nylon and Bluesign® certified with water repellent treatment without PFC, the lining is in 50% recycled nylon, the leather is vegetable tanned, the buckles are in recyclable aluminum, the cotton certified OekoTex® or in Tencel® as the mattress pad… The next step will be to succeed in also optimizing the seam threads, foams, etc. to be able to certify the entire product.

REACH regulations are imposed by the European Union in order to protect human health and the environment against the risks associated with chemical substances. All the components of our products are REACH certified, this means that they have been tested and registered with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to guarantee their non-harmfulness. If you want to know more, here is the official website of the REACH regulation: https://echa.europa.eu/fr/regulations/reach

OEKO-TEX (or ÖKO-TEX) is an independent German label which guarantees the human-ecological qualities of textiles, that is to say that contain no or very little, toxic products for health, skin and the environment . We work primarily with OekoTex® labeled suppliers to guarantee you the healthiest and most environmentally friendly products. In addition, most of the fabrics used in our products are “class I”, meaning they are harmless to the fragile skin of babies.

If you want to know more, here is the official OekoTex® website : https://www.oeko-tex.com

Bluesign® is an independent Swiss label that has existed for over 20 years. It is a holistic system that intervenes in the manufacturing processes of raw materials and finished products, especially in everything related to chemicals. Bluesign guarantees the highest level of consumer assurance in terms of the use of resources and their impact on people and the environment. They are based on five principles: consumer safety, air emissions, water emissions, occupational health and safety, and resource productivity. Please note, there are several levels of certification: “Bluesign approved fabric” or “Bluesign approved accessories” which certify a fabric or an accessory (buckle, etc.) only. It is a first step before the certification of an entire product “Bluesign Product”. For that, 90% of the fabrics must be Bluesign certified and 30% of the accessories. This is what we would like to succeed in doing for our next products.

For the heat, you can go for a walk with peace of mind. To give you an idea, we did the test: in a room at room temperature (28 ° C), we filled a bottle (glass) with boiling water (100 ° C). After 5 hours, the water had returned to ambient temperature (30 ° C.). Of course, this can vary depending on the outside temperature, the type of bottle or container used as well as the starting heat of the liquid (boiling or just hot). We can therefore estimate a comfortable duration of about 28 hours of keeping warm. Regarding the cold, it is more difficult to assess the duration. We tried it with yogurt and we estimate the cooling time of around 2 hour. For longer periods consider adding a small ice pack / ice pack.

It is strongly recommended not to put your MeroMero bag in the washing machine, especially the first version of the Clem & Léon bag with the leather logo (S00101). The badge and the straps may bleed on the light gray cotton. On the other hand, for the following versions: Clem & Léon V2 bag (S00102) and Squamish V1 and V2 backpack, Mini Squamish… the leather will not bleed, but risks being damaged (losing its color for example). A word of advice: clean your bag regularly by brushing it as soon as it has a stain.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the maintenance of your product because it is often on a case by case basis.

The first version of the Clem & Léon bag (S00101), as well as some of its accessories, were made from cotton canvas oiled with beeswax. This natural protection makes the fabric even more resistant and especially naturally water repellent. Like leather, it will acquire a patina over time. After a few months, the “wax” will end up drying and the fabric will lose its greasy and cracked appearance. However, it is possible to iron wax to re-waterproof the fabric, but we do not sell cleaning products and cannot guarantee the rendering of such re-waterproofing.

To clean any stains, gently brush the fabric, then rinse it with clean water. Do not immerse the product in water, the leather may bleed. Machine and dry cleaning prohibited, as are detergents and chemicals.

The second version of the bag (S00102), and its accessories, are made from a paraffin-based coated cotton but require the same care when it comes to maintenance.

To be able to transport up to 40L, we have planned to close the Squamish backpack using a Velcro (or “scratch”). This one is extremely powerful when new. Moreover, be careful with your delicate knitted sweaters (wool, etc.) as they risk being damaged by the Velcro. On the contrary, if after several months of use, your Velcro does not hold as well, it is time to clean it! It must have lots of pilling (from your woolen sweaters ;-), lint or other dirt embedded in the “hooks” of the scratch (the part that hangs). We must therefore remove the maximum. How? ‘Or’ What ? Using a toothbrush, a fine comb, tweezers or even by scraping with the “teeth” of an adhesive dispenser (Scotch) … And remember to do it regularly.

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For the moment, we only use three delivery options (Letter Followed, Colissimo and DPD Predict) but we are in the process of setting up a wider choice, in particular delivery in relay points and why not an option ” express ”in order to best meet all your expectations.

For locals, you can always choose the option of free withdrawal at our warehouse in the Epagny area (directly at the counter). To do this, simply choose the option when ordering.

Indeed, the law is on the side of the undecided ;-). You have up to 14 days from the date of delivery of the products to retract, without justifying yourself (before it was 7 days). This means that you can return your new product to us with its label and in its original packaging (unused) for any reason. You just have to fill out the withdrawal form (present in the GTC) before sending it back to us. We will exchange it to you or refund the purchase value.

We do our best to ensure that all the products we sell are flawless, but on rare occasion there may be a defect. If this is the case, send us an email so that we can look at and discuss the problem together to find a solution. We work with a repair shop near Chamonix to handle all of our repairs.

Yes ! We even start thinking about repairs from when we design the product, because we know that a product is only durable when it is easy to repair. There may be a defect that we repair at our expense (within the two-year warranty), or a simple accident (tear, cut strap, broken buckle, etc.) that we can help you to repair. In this case, we can ask for a quote from our repair center before taking action.