Lace may have been a rather desirable trend in the last few seasons, as proved by last year's exhibition "Haute Dentelle" (on until 1st June 2019) at the Cité Internationale de la Dentelle et de la Mode (The Museum of Lace and Fashion) in Calais, France. Yet it looks like this precious and time-consuming textile is facing some challenges right at the beginning of the new year.
Calais-based historical lacemaker Noyon filed indeed for bankruptcy at the end of December with the Commercial Court of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
In 2008, the company had already been placed in receivership after several social plans and the Commercial Court of Boulogne-sur-Mer accepted two years later a continuation plan. Then, two years ago the manufacturer, currently employing 170 people (who did not receive the wages for December 2018), was placed at its request in liquidation, leading to the removal of 55 jobs out of 237.
The company then resumed production helped by a consortium with some of its major lingerie clients, industrial and commercial partners (including Van de Velde, La Perla, Etam and MAS Holdings). At the moment a director has been appointed and an intermediate hearing is scheduled for March.
A decline in the lingerie market and a rise in the competition from global markets are among the causes for Noyon's financial problems.
Noyon is considered as one of the oldest lace-makers in the area: founded in 1919 by Lucien Noyon, successor of Gustave Noyon and heir to a long line of lace-makers, manufacturers and mechanics, it has been the number one producer of Calais lace, well-known for its products in the lingerie, haute couture and ready-to-wear markets.
The textile industry flourished in the 1800s and 1900s in Calais (some of its streets were named after the leaders of the textile industry or after the looms – see Rue Leavers). Yet things changed with fashion trends: as clothes became more practical, garments and undergarments trimmed with lace were eliminated in favour of more minimal, casual and sporty styles (the same happened to tablecloths and handkerchiefs).
In more recent years, Asia-based factories started producing lace and many European clients turned to them to buy cheaper products (many lingerie companies, including Victoria's Secret now incorporate in their garments lace trims made in Asia).
Noyon specialises in knitted and Leavers lace (Leavers mechanical looms were introduced in the 19th century, when British weavers smuggled them across the English Channel to evade English restrictions on selling lace to the French), but in more recent years it diversified the production establishing factories in Sri Lanka as well, focusing on Jacquardtronic, Textronic and Supertronic.
The company also developed new threads, effects and applications, experimenting with microfibres and micro-encapsulation. Yet it wasn't able to reverse the decline: turnover started decreasing three years ago, going from €18.3 million in 2014 to €13.5 million in 2016, while the workforce comprising 440 employees at the end of 2008 dropped to 170 (this is very symbolical if we think that when the industry was blooming in Calais it employed up to 30,000 people; there are fewer than 300 employees in three famous factories there - Desseilles, Noyon Dentelle and Codentel).
Noyon's financial distress is the embodiment of the industrial erosion process the prestigious Made in France label went through in the last few years, that is similar to the one that erased many Italian industries. You could argue that Noyon actually invested in innovation in its factory in Calais and explored the possibilities of operating plants in other countries as well to keep production going and widen its offer to clients looking for other price points. Yet you wonder if, despite the trend for artisanal and handmade products, a symbol of refinement such as French lace, will manage to survive. Who knows, maybe some luxury companies will be interested in stepping in and look at the possibility of acquiring some of the last lace manufacturers in Calais. In the last few years Chanel acquired through its Paraffection subsidiary several historical companies (among them Causse, Maison Michel, Goossens, Barrie, Lognon, Lemarie, Lesage, Desrues and Massaro), and while this may not be the ultimate solution to save French lace, maybe it would save some of the last skilled jobs around Calais.
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