Trusted partner: Manufacture Prelle
It was King François I who launched the development of the Lyon textile industry, just to show the Italians what we were capable of doing (and weaving) on this side of the Alps. The Grande Fabrique de Colbert and the fashion of Versailles, imitated throughout Europe, then gave a big boost to the business of Lyon weavers. The corporation was extremely dynamic in the 18th century. It was in 1752 that the PRELLE silk house was born, just before the development of the Jacquard loom and the installation of the Canuts at La Croix-Rousse.
© Prelle - 2023
An exceptional house
The PRELLE factory is an institution in Lyon. Located in a small street in La Croix-Rousse, this pretty building is both a unique repository of textile know-how and a production workshop. Today, she exports her luxurious fabrics all over the world.
The family business puts the most seasoned genealogists to the test. The names "Prelle" and "Verzier" intersect and re-intersect from one generation to another, warp and weft of the same centuries-old fabric. A fact to remember all the same: traditionally, the Lyon silk houses are organized around a designer, who works with a weaver manufacturer. For the PRELLE house, we can mention the artistic talents of its founder, Pierre-Toussaint Déchazelle, but also of Balthazar Eugène Prelle and Thérèse Prelle, the grandmother of Guillaume Verzier, current manager of the company.
Wall hangings, ornaments, curtains, seat and sofa coverings, the PRELLE house weaves the most beautiful furnishing fabrics. Since its origins, it has deployed its know-how without ever denying its values. If the relocation is massive in the textile sector from 1960, the Verziers who then run the company remain convinced that this strategy is not the right one. Guillaume Verzier further reinforced this positioning in the 1990s. Produce less, but better. This is the line of conduct of the PRELLE house. Today's success vindicates these difficult choices. But it took a lot of courage to stay the course, without ever yielding to the sirens of more distant El Dorados.
"All the production stages are carried out locally. The dyes have always been made in Forez, because the water is better there. It contains less limestone than in Lyon and fixes the colors better on the surface. silk. Then, the weaving is done exclusively in our workshops in Croix-Rousse. Part of the workshop has kept the old hand looms for exceptional orders. The other part is more modern and operates more like a small factory. ."
© Prelle - 2023
A little history
PRELLE is a restaurant specialist. But beware ! it is not a question of repairing damaged fabrics, but of creating new identical ones or in the spirit and style of the time.
"Finding the brocaded lampas that adorned Marie-Antoinette's bedroom at Versailles or the blue velvet that makes all the charm of an 18th century salon, is a captivating mission that requires enormous preparatory work. An investigation, so to speak. Like a detective, you have to collect the clues in the archives, those of the place itself and ours, to find the trace of these fabrics, the references of the colors and the weaving techniques used. are too thin, we are inspired by similar models, dating from the same period."
Restoration such as the PRELLE house requires great mastery of the history of fabrics and know-how. Labeled Living Heritage Company since 2007, the company has recently invested in new weaving looms.
"We now benefit from the considerable technical advantages of the new looms: they are faster and more efficient, that's undeniable. But we absolutely wanted to keep our DNA and respect the old rules of the factory of the different weavings. This is the which is why some looms have been designed especially for us, so that we can tailor our settings."
The PRELLE house pushes the attention to detail even further. Because machines do a job too perfect for humans. The fabrics have no flaws, they lack that little something that makes all the charm of a work done by hand.
"Sometimes we deliberately programmed small errors in the weaving. Nothing noticeable, of course. But these small imperfections give an extra soul to the fabric. Something imperceptible that makes all the difference."
For once, perfectionism seeks error!
© Prelle - 2023
An association for the love of Lyon silk
The collaboration with Philéone is a logical continuation of the relationship of trust that unites the PRELLE house to the Maison des Canuts. Guillaume Verzier and Philibert Varenne have known each other for a very long time and each respect the work of the other.
"The Philéone boutique offers possibilities that our company is not able to offer. We are above all a work and production space. It is complicated to welcome the general public, in particular for security reasons. The boutique Philéone and the Maison des Canuts are, on the contrary, perfect places for everyone to discover the Lyon silk industry. Finally, we are complementary."
Find in the Philéone shop the wonderful fabrics of the PRELLE house which adorn the most beautiful residences and castles of France. Enough to give a little royal air to your interior!
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Discover all our fabrics from Prelle
Discover the whole universe of the Prelle house
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Author of the article: Marie Formarier for Phileone France.