Trusted partner: Denis & Fils
Denis & Fils is a player in Lyon silk that is now a must in the world of French luxury. Haute Couture houses have not been mistaken, since Chanel discovered this treasure in the small town of Montchal, located in the Monts du Lyonnais.
Specializing in the creation and manufacture of fabrics, this family business for 3 generations celebrates the successful marriage between ancestral know-how and cutting-edge techniques. Women are spoiled: exclusive jacquards, ultra-fine silk muslin and refined accessories, everything is neat and mastered down to the smallest detail.
Jean-Paul and Bruno Denis tell the story of this small workshop that grew into a big one.
Drawing - © Denis & Fils - 2023
History of the House
Denis & Fils currently has two factories. One is for silk, wool and jacquard; the other for cotton and velvet. The company now has around fifty looms. It controls the entire production chain: creation of exclusive patterns, warping and weaving, finishing, quality control and distribution. But it all started on three
looms in 1956.
Jean-Paul Denis defines himself above all as a Canut. His father bought a silk workshop in Lyon when he was 8 years old.
"Textile is something you're born into. I remember, as a kid, I was riding a tricycle among the looms. At 11 or 12, I took up the loom and knew how to weave. I took professional courses, but at 16, I was working in the factory with my father. I had to learn to listen, it wasn't always easy!"
His son Bruno was born in 1976. He too was immersed in it from a very young age. He did his homework with his grandmother, on a corner of the desk, but the machines called him to the workshop. He in turn learned the trade in the family, in the company of his father and his uncle: first as a weaver, then as a textile reader.
Hand-painted silk workshop - © Denis & Fils - 2023
A new, very Haute Couture turn
Today, he is the head of the Denis & Fils company. But how did the small Montchal company go from a traditional Lyon silk house to a Parisian Haute Couture house? It was a matter of a thread, or rather a few meters of ribbon. Bruno Denis still finds it amusing.
"One day, I was received by Chanel, because they had a crazy project. They wanted to reproduce all-silk ribbons from a fabulous tailor from the house that they had found. We had to cut the ribbons and weave them, but we didn't have the right tools. And then I went for a walk in Beaujolais at the weekend and I met a charming lady. She had an old hand loom. She made us the fabric and we started like that. She didn't really believe in me: "what does the young guy want?" In fact, we went from 7 meters to 21, then 140, then 2500! We had to ask ourselves the right questions to automate this hand weaving."
Mechanical trade - © Denis & Fils - 2023
Environment and innovation
This beautiful story as we like them perfectly defines the state of mind of Denis & Fils. Never rest on your laurels, even if they are made of silk. The quest for excellence is at the heart of all projects. This is evidenced today by the various labels obtained by the house. A Living Heritage Company and member of the France Terre Textile collective, it proudly defends the know-how of Lyon silk. It is also committed to the environment by choosing GOTS, FSC and GRS fibers.
Finally, it is committed to the new challenges of innovation. It has joined forces with Lightex Industrie Innovation to develop technical fabrics, such as the illuminating fabric composed of optical fibers for medical and industrial applications.
But the technology would be nothing without the 80 employees who work in Montchal, in an environment that Bruno Denis wants to be as beneficial as possible. Well-being at work is not a sweet dream, but a reality that is taking shape in an ambitious project. The company is building a new living space where staff can take a good lunch break, share a coffee in the sun and enjoy the great outdoors.
"Being located there next to the fields and the cows was a hindrance at one time. Now, it's an asset. No need for a gym, you just have to go out with your trainers. It's a peaceful and friendly setting, far from the city, which young people appreciate." 
Color range - © Denis & Fils - 2023
The partnership with Philéone Tissus, a strong symbol of the values carried by the House
Transmission is the keystone of Denis & Fils. The company regularly welcomes work-study students from La Martinière Diderot high school and ITECH Lyon. Bruno Denis attaches great importance to the younger generation discovering the new challenges of the textile industry. The collaboration with Philéone is part of this logic.
"I have known Philibert and Virginie Varenne for many years now. I find them courageous: they are fighting to revalue the image of textiles among the general public. In 1996, when I took over Denis & Fils, everyone thought I was crazy. Now, it's different. The Philéone boutique is proof of that. It offers individuals a great overview of the treasures that Lyon silk is capable of producing today. Textiles are modern, and they are beautiful!"
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Author of the article: Marie Formarier for Phileone France.