Franck Joubert (IIM 2011): When a Passion for Sports Meets Luxury Craftsmanship
A 2011 graduate of the IIM with a specialization in Graphic Communication, Franck Joubert has built his career around digital creation, project management, and entrepreneurship. While at the IIM, he co-founded Maespirit, a digital creative studio that has led more than a hundred projects combining UX design, development, and strategy for clients such as Nissan, Éditions Lefebvre Sarrut, Stryker, and GL Events.
Sports also quickly became a part of his career: in 2015, he launched SmashQuiz, a soccer-focused mobile app, for which he managed everything from product development to brand identity, user experience, and marketing strategy.
In 2016, while continuing his work at Maespirit, he founded Joubert Paris, a leather goods brand that brings together several recurring themes from his career: creative and digital culture, entrepreneurship, and sports. His unique vision was to transform sports jerseys into one-of-a-kind leather goods, handcrafted in Paris. The brand recently reached a new milestone with its first official capsule collection, created in collaboration with Kappa and inspired by the Tunisian national team’s 2025–26 jersey.
From the Closet to the Workshop: The Art of Transformation
Joubert Paris was born out of a rather unexpected encounter between sports and high-end leather goods.
▷ How did the idea of bringing these two worlds together come about?
“It all started with a simple intuition: what if we could transform a garment that we treasure but no longer really wear? I want to make an important distinction: Joubert Paris is not an upcycling initiative. I don’t recycle; I start with a piece that already has value—whether athletic, emotional, or symbolic—and evolve it into something else. That’s exactly the meaning of the word I chose to name the collection: metamorphosis.
The sports jersey quickly emerged as the ideal canvas. It’s an object imbued with a rare emotional charge—a memory, an achievement, an identity—but one that its owner almost always ends up tucking away in a drawer. My initial intuition was this: if I could turn it into a beautiful object—one worn every day and in any setting—then the method would work with any item imbued with meaning. The jersey was simply the most obvious starting point.”
You share behind-the-scenes content on social media: sourcing materials, crafting, attention to detail, photo shoots…
▷ What specific challenges does transforming a sports jersey into a high-end leather goods piece present? What might the public not necessarily realize goes on behind the scenes of the finished product?
“ The first challenge is almost philosophical rather than technical: imagining an elegant accessory—one capable of rivaling genuine leather goods—made from a sports jersey. Nowhere is it written that this has to work. We had to find the balance between highlighting the original fabric and reinforcing it enough to ensure it lasts over time, without ever altering its essence.
The second challenge is more subtle, but just as fundamental: that of perception. The nature of the product is unique, and an outsider doesn’t always realize at first glance that they’re looking at a repurposed jersey rather than just a simple team souvenir. Yet the sports merchandising industry has accustomed the public to mass-produced, low-cost items—so the instinct is sometimes to underestimate the quality. Conveying the genuine craftsmanship behind each piece—unique and handcrafted—is an ongoing educational process.”
You’re involved in a wide range of areas, from product design to business development, including branding, communications, and partnerships.
▷ Among all these roles, is there one you’re particularly fond of? Which side usually takes the lead: the creative or the entrepreneurial?
“What I like most about this project is precisely that I’m not limited to a single role: I design the products, oversee the art direction, direct the photo shoots, manage sourcing, optimize production, meet with clients and athletes, and visit the workshop. It’s this diversity that drives me forward—and makes every week different from the last.
If I had to choose, I’d say the creative perspective often takes precedence. But the entrepreneur never completely steps aside: I set the business vision aside only in one specific case—when a project appeals to me creatively enough to justify, with full knowledge of the facts, pursuing it even if it isn’t profitable.”
Curiosity, Boldness, and Action: From School to Entrepreneurship
▷ Looking back, how have your years at IIM shaped the way you create, take on new ventures, and manage your projects today? What experiences or skills still serve you in your career today?
“IIM instilled in me a conviction that remains with me to this day: never limit yourself to what you already know, and be willing to tackle subjects you’re unfamiliar with. That curiosity and that breadth of skills are still what make me enjoy what I do—a solo founder has to wear many hats, and that kind of versatility is something you either learn early on or never at all.
The project management methods I learned back then also continue to shape how I organize my work on a daily basis. Without that discipline, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish even a third of what I do today.”
At the Léonard de Vinci Campus, some students are already taking their first steps into the world of sustainable fashion through the Maison De Vinci association. Perhaps they’re reading this with the hope of one day creating their own brand…
▷ Based on your experience, what advice would you give to someone who wants to build their own brand?
“The advice that matters most to me: don’t put too much stock in the advice people give you. It often says more about the speaker’s ego than about your actual situation. Instead, treat the following guidelines as points to keep in mind, not as rules to follow to the letter:
- Don’t start your company until it’s necessary: wait until you have your first paying customers.
- Get familiar with the legal aspects early on, particularly copyright and trademark law. As soon as you’re working with jerseys, club crests, or sports partners, the issue of rights is never trivial—it determines what you’re allowed to do and show.
- Prioritize action over planning: produce, test, and adjust.”
▷ Do you have a resource, tool, method, or habit that has particularly inspired you and that you would recommend to someone who wants to launch a project?
“I can’t name any specific book or mentor—my real method is fieldwork. As soon as a bag prototype is ready, I go for a walk with it around Paris—Châtelet, the Marais—and pop into shops related to the product’s niche. I don’t say anything; I just watch the reactions: what catches the eye, what stands out, what leaves people indifferent.
It’s the best school I know. No market research can replace the spontaneous reaction of a stranger to the object in real-world conditions. If I had to give one piece of advice to someone just starting out: get the prototype out of the workshop as quickly as possible, and put it to the test in the real world rather than relying on your own judgment.”
An Alumni to follow!
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