FIVE GENERATIONS INTIMATELY LINKED TO LYON SILK
George Varenne, Philibert's great-grandfather, began his textile career in 1875 at the age of 15 as an employee at the Lyon silk brokerage office. He became a sales representative for France, then export and travel manager all over the world. Here is an excerpt from his diary.
"Although I speak very little English, not at all Indostani, I left on November 5, 1885 for Bombay on board the Nizam to Port Said and on board the Kaisar-I-Hind from Port Said to Bombay.
When the Kaisar-I-Hind dropped anchor in the bay of Bombay and I saw before me this immense city with its minarets, its palaces and its wide avenues, I was deeply moved to think that the very next day I would be in the middle of this crowd whose language I did not even know, looking for customers who were willing, on seeing the samples that I was going to show them, to entrust me with orders for my house which was totally unknown to them.
–George Varenne
On the strength of these experiences, he created, on June 30, 1890 at the age of 35, the company "l'alliance textile" then Soieries Varenne. Today, Virginie and Philibert continue this story and make it grow. Manufacturers of fabrics for clothing, scarves and neckerchiefs for Parisian and international couture brands, they took over the management of the Maison des Canuts in 2004.
After having renovated this high place of interpretation of Lyon's heritage, woven on hand looms exceptional silks for European castles, a new adventure begins. Joined by their daughter Sixtine, they gave birth to a new brand, an expression of Lyon's excellence: Philéone .
A COLLECTION FOR ELEGANT HUMANISTS
Philéone is the signature of a collection of fashion accessories aimed at refined humanist women and men. The people who wear Philéone are beings sensitive to creation, appreciating the quality of work well done and vigilant about their textile consumption. They are looking for elegant products at reasonable prices and are concerned about the environmental impact of their purchases.
Philéone's collections are born in La Croix Rousse and are marked by the values of this territory: humanity, curiosity, freedom, nourished by encounters, reading, diversity and inventions.
Weaving, knitting, printing, dyeing, finishing and making are carried out in France and more particularly in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region.
Depuis le 1er décembre 2022, une nouvelle boutique a vu le jour : Philéone Tissus.
Située à deux pas de la Maison des Canuts au coeur de la Croix-Rousse, on y trouve une large gamme de tissus pour des projets de couture, d’habillement et d’ameuble-
ment.
La boutique de tissus vient occuper une place de choix sur le marché de la seconde main : des tissus provenant d’essais, d’anciennes collections et de fins de production, vendus au poids, au coupon et au mètre.
La Manufacture Prelle, Garnier-Thiebaut, Lemaitre Demesteere, Benost Création, Denis & Fils, et enfin l'entreprise Dutel, nous ont fait confiance pour permettre au grand public d'accéder à des tissus d'exception, normalement destinés au monde du prêt-à-porter et de la Haute Couture.
Grâce à eux, Philéone Tissus peut aujourd'hui vous offrir des matières de qualité, de fabrication française et le plus souvent régionale.