Photo The lace on Amal Clooney's wedding dress, by Oscar de la Renta, was made by the French lacemaking company Sophie Hallette. Credit People Magazine, via Associated Press
Ever since Kate Middleton was married in a gown festooned with lace from Sophie Hallette, a traditional, family-run company in the north of France, and Amal Clooney followed suit with her Oscar de la Renta confection, the French lace industry has been having something of moment. It's on the runways — at brands like Valentino, Dior and Céline — and in the headlines.
Behind the scenes, however, a battle of sorts has been going on, as Desseilles and Codentel, two of the oldest lace companies in the French towns of Caudry and Calais, squeezed by competition from Asia and unable to comply with French labor laws, declared bankruptcy this year.
Holesco, the group that is the parent company of Sophie Hallette, bid to acquire Desseilles, but late last month, it lost out to the Chinese company Yongsheng Holdings. So when it came time to make an offer for Codentel, the group brought in backup.
Last week, Chanel, which has made a sort of a sideline out of identifying and preserving classic French artisanship for the future, took a minority stake in Holesco. And on Monday, the judge of the commercial court in Boulogne-sur-Mer named Holesco the new owner of Codentel. The company guaranteed the jobs of all 36 employees, and it will make a total strategic investment of 1.03 million euros, or $1.16 million.
"It was a French solution to a French problem: the need to protect our savoir-faire," Romain Lescroart, president of Sophie Hallette, said by phone from France. Mr. Lescroart's is the third generation of his family to run the lacemaker, which was founded in 1887 and bought by his grandfather. Sophie Hallette has 300 employees and annual revenues of €30 million, and it supplies brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, La Perla and Ralph Lauren.
Photo Sophie Hallette provides lace for many fashion labels, including this spring 2016 style at Burberry. Credit Gio Staiano/Nowfashion
After the decision, Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel's fashion activities, said in a statement: "For Chanel, acquiring shares in the company's capital means the opportunity to accompany Sophie Hallette as it develops and perpetuates the lace industry in France. The court's decision in favor of Sophie Hallette is positively inscribed in this approach."
Hallette will not be part of the Chanel Métiers d'Art program, the group of small businesses such as the embroiderer Lesage, the milliner Michel, the maker of silk flowers Guillet and the Scottish cashmere house Barrie. They are fully owned by a Chanel subsidiary called Paraffection, and the Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld holds< /a> a special show featuring their work once a year.
Mr. Lescroart characterized Chanel's investment as less than 25 percent of the company. However, the relationship with Holesco is fully in line with Chanel's strategy of keeping local skill in place. Though the house tends to frame such investment as a selfless gesture, it is not an entirely disinterested party. Indeed, it is one of Sophie Hallette's top five clients.
Chanel's statement said: "The goal of this collaboration is to preserve the historic lace sector, the pride and rich heritage of the Calais and Caudry region. It also intends to ensure that this exceptional expertise and the invaluable Leavers, these 200-year-old machines that are key to creating extremely fine lace, with its own certification (Dentelle de Calais-Caudry®), essential for the demands of haute coutu re and creative design, remain in France."
It also ensures, of course, that the Chanel supply chain remains healthy, and in France.
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