Toiles De Mayenne
Like Carr & Bury, Toiles De Mayenne is a family-run business which was founded in 1806 and is now run by the seventh generation of the Denis family. From weaving through to dyeing, everything is manufactured under one roof at the company premises in Fontaine-Daniel, just four kilometres from the town of Mayenne in France. This facility of offering every weaving operation under the same roof is unique in France and the current directors are determined that they retain the same high standards of their ancestors.
The History of Toiles De Mayenne
The founders set up the family business using the following principles as guidelines:
- To provide their employees with good living conditions, close to their place of work.
- to open (in 1833) a free secular school, a libary and a communal meeting place.
- to reinvest their profits in the business
They have provided an excellent quality of life for both employer and employee working in unison and ensuring that the same standards of work are handed down.
The Denis family and many of the families of the workforce have worked and lived together in this exceptional setting, over seven generations.
The company has survied three major wars and other conflicts of change. Soon after its birth in 1806, 760 weavers and spinners worked together. Today, through investment in modern technology, 151 employees conduct 75 varied tasks.
Indeed, constant technical improvements have always been at the forefront of its directors' minds, most of whom graduated from the Ecole Centrale, one of the most prestigious universities in Paris.
In 1858, Gustave Denis succeeded his father Martin, founder of this business. Gustave designed most of the machinery as well as the factory buildings required for the expansion of the operation, together with the housing for the workers.
In 1901, the factory that had previously only woven natural coloured fabrics, began to dye threads for the purpose of weaving shirts and linings for clothes. Ten years later, 350 people were employed for dyeing and its complex processes. In 1929, electricity was brought to the factory, and after the second world war, the weaving of interior fabrics was begun. In 1952, Toiles de Mayenne was launched, and a bespoke making-up department initiated.
Toiles de Mayenne Today
"At the dawn of the 20th Century, the company was able to offer the complete range of processes in the manufacture of textiles. The facility to have every weaving operation under one roof is unique in France.
Each stage from the working of the raw cotton to the finishing of the soft furnishings is handled. The making-up workshop employs fifty people, who perform all the necessary steps for a complete made-to-measure service from curtains, blinds, bed-trows, headboards, cushions to many other items.
The current three directors, grandsons of Jean, represent the seventh generation.
Faithful to the spirit of their ancestors, they are intent on developing outside markets whilst respecting the needs of their human resources. They are dedicated to ensuring the continued production of a high quality product influenced by their past mentors.
In the footsteps of the previous four directors, they are expanding the number of Toiles de Mayenne outlets within their financial capabilities. The most recently launched store are in Saint-Germain-en-Lay, Paris and Madrid."