Trusted partner: Garnier-Thiebaut
The voice of Paul de Montclos is playful on the other end of the line. Talking about the Garnier-Thiebaut company he runs in the Vosges is a task he performs with obvious pleasure. Located in Gérardmer, this house has a long history of 190 years.
Creation and early days of the company
Specializing in the production of bed and table linen for high-end and luxury customers, it bears witness to the geopolitical ups and downs of the modern era. It has known everything, from the industrial boom of the late 19th century to the recent textile crisis, including the pure and simple destruction of its buildings in 1940. Not exactly a long calm river.
"I was asked to carry out an audit for the company in 1995. Either it closed or it found solutions to sell and sustain its market. I've been there for 28 years!"
Textiles were not a discovery for Paul de Montclos. In his family, he is part of the 11th generation working in the sector. The 12th is preparing to take over. 
Paul de Monclos - © France Terre Textile - 2023
A house, values
Garnier-Thiebaut is a key player in the sector in the country and even internationally. This company has the particularity of selling to the luxury hotel industry, to gourmet restaurants but also to individuals who love quality products. Paul de Montclos has developed a well thought-out competitive offer with his teams. Small series, personalized products, responsiveness and short deadlines, the company slides with agility into the breach left open by globalization.
"The price war is lost anyway. We are playing on another field: the quality and originality of the product, technical innovation and above all customer confidence. The Garnier-Thiebaut teams are solid and provide an excellent work. To survive, you must always be on the move. If you stop, you are dead."
Garnier-Thiebaut is above all a family business with strong values. It insists on mastering the entire production chain to manufacture exclusive fabrics of remarkable quality. The company has its own weaving, finishing (bleaching, dyeing, finishing) and tailoring machines. It takes care of packaging, sales and distribution itself. All stages are under control, from A to Z. The company has also been stamped "Entreprise Patrimoine Vivant" since the label was created in 2006. Its know-how, in particular damask jacquard weaving, is thus recognized as a national treasure that must be preserved and perpetuated at all costs.
This strategy allows you to keep your independence and your DNA, but also to imagine, experiment and innovate. New products, new services.
"Who is capable, like us, of delivering a hotel 10 days before the football World Cup? With a labeling system that specifies where each product must go? Our senses are always on the alert. It's the same for our stain-resistant tablecloths. Technical innovation is inspired by customer needs. I have 5 children at home, I know what family meals are!". 
Garnier-Thiebaut factory - © France Terre Textile - 2023
Societal commitment and creation of the first textile label around the made in France
Garnier-Thiebaut goes even further. The textile industry is one of the most polluting in the world. Paul de Montclos has undertaken extensive work to limit the environmental impact of his business. Solar panels, wastewater treatment plant, electric turbine. Forget the old-fashioned image of the factory à la Zola. Here we are already in the future.
With the “Vosges Terre Textile Label”, companies in the sector have undertaken to carry out at least 75% of operations in the region. The movement was followed throughout France and gave birth to the “Label France terre textile”, more demanding than the famous “made in France”.
"Federating the textile sector around a common line of conduct is a real challenge. The sector is long: it encompasses a large number of branches (weaving, finishing, clothing) which each have their sites, their machines, their problems, their know-how. And then the sector is wide: it covers a whole set of very different products, whether in clothing, furniture, decoration, or even in technical and industrial textiles." 
Garnier-Thiebaut fabrics - © France Terre Textile - 2023
Collaboration with Philéone Tissus
Today, 95% of textile products purchased in France are imported. And yet, the French sector is one of the cleanest in the world. Its future depends on the quality of social ties in companies, economic partnerships between the different actors, the sustainability of know-how and of course consumer behavior.
"Some people have principles, but don't apply them in their daily life, it's their choice. The important thing is that the information is accessible and that everyone is aware of what they are buying."
Make us feel this necessary awareness. It is this philosophy that motivates Garnier-Thiebaut's collaboration with the Philéone boutique. Paul de Montclos has known the Maison des Canuts for a long time; a bond of trust has been forged with Philibert and Virginie Varenne over all these years, particularly since the creation of the “France Terre Textile” label.
"The Philéone boutique is a great way to make Garnier Thiebaut's offer available to as many people as possible. With Philibert and Virginie, I know that the words mean the same thing. We can count on them, they can count on us. "
Thanks to this mutual trust, Philéone is not a static showroom with cold beauty, but rather a place where the creative energy of a large French fabric house and the commitment of each visitor who crosses the threshold come to dialogue. of the shop. Not bad for a project, right?
Garnier-Thiebaut fabrics - © France Terre Textile - 2023
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Author of the article: Marie Formarier for Phileone France.