It took ten years for 1083 to successfully relocate the textile industry dedicated to the manufacture of its jeans entirely to France. A long journey detailed by Thomas Huriez, founder of the Drôme company. 

It was in 2007 that Thomas Huriez, who until then had worked in IT, decided to " create a meaningful activity for him, and to open an organic and fair trade clothing store in Drôme. A job as a fashion retailer that he discovers and for which he is passionate about, but which confronts him after a few years with a harsh reality. " All the ethical brands that I distributed have ceased their activity one by one “recalls Thomas Huriez.
Then was born the idea of ​​founding his own eco-responsible brand and very quickly, to focus on one product in particular: jeans. " At the time, the ethical clothing were more in a “baba cool” style. Personally, I wanted to reach a wide audience, with something that everyone wears, details the entrepreneur. And I found it absurd to see brand name jeans at 100 euros in stores and others from the fast fashion at 30 euros, while they are manufactured in the same countries, in Bangladesh, Pakistan or Turkey. »

In 2013, in Romans-sur-Isère, Thomas Huriez launched 1083, whose name refers to the kilometric distance between the two most distant towns in France (Menton on the Côte d'Azur and Porspoder in Brittany). His bet? Offer jeans made in a short circuit, 100% Made in France and eco-responsible. After a first crowdfunding which saw the brand sell 1 jeans, instead of the 000 initially planned, the founder of 1083 must tackle a major challenge: to reconstitute a textile sector from A to Z in France. Successful challenge after 10 years of work for the company, which achieved a turnover of 12 million euros in 2022, up 10% compared to the previous year.

From weaving to cotton, including buttons

Find suppliers, garment makers and weavers, relearn know-how, obtain equipment and tools and find the right repairers... The relocation journey has been " difficult but rich in learning “, according to Thomas Huriez. Today, the company employs 105 people and works with three weavers (including its own “Tissage de France” workshop in Rupt-sur-Moselle), eight clothing workshops and three cutting workshops, but also with unexpected partners: “ For jeans buttons, it took us nine years to find a local solution because stamping, the traditional manufacture of this accessory, no longer existed in France. “, explains the founder of 1083. The brand then approached Vallgrip, a French manufacturer of studs for winter tires, in order to make the buttons by diverting cold stamping technology.

As for the main material of the jeans, all the brand's denims are woven in France, in organic cotton or recycled fibers. After 10 years of relocation, 1083 even launched 100% French jeans this year, including cotton, by combining circular economy and sustainable agriculture thanks to the mixture of recycled cotton from old jeans and the cultivation of cotton in the Gers. and in the Drôme. " The quality is there but the yields are modest. In 2022, we cultivated three hectares, which allowed us to manufacture 1 jeans in 000, knowing that we sell 2023 per year, explains Thomas Huriez. The objective is to change scale and increasingly relocate our sector closer to our customers. »

A decentralized chainmail chain

To develop in France, the brand has chosen the perma-industry approach, which copies nature's production strategy and one of its foundations, diversification. It thus relies on several dozen SMEs spread throughout the territory, which allows it to develop a solid sector, reduce risks and develop the commitment of its customers by producing close to home. " We have built a network in chainmail and not in chains, with several partners for each trade. This makes the die more resilient, especially in the event that a link breaks “, notes the entrepreneur.

The company manages to sell its jeans at an average price of 120 euros, by reducing the number of intermediaries from production to sale, via its five stores in France in addition to 125 partner outlets and its website (which represents 50% of turnover). The objective for Thomas Huriez: to continue to grow and to grow closer to customers with the opening of two new stores in Marseille and in the Vosges.

Despite the economic difficulties (rising energy cost and inflation), the relocation of textile sectors growing in France. And that's good news, according to the entrepreneur. " An ecosystem is not built with a single actor. The more consumers, workshops, brands and merchants we bring together, the more we replace quantity consumption, which does not benefit France, with quality consumption, which benefits everyone. », concludes the founder of 1083.