Wool cloth: first chapter of the Le Minor Book of Fabrics
Woolen cloth plays a central role in Le Minor's history and collections. A noble and durable material, it reflects our Breton know-how and our environmental commitment. In this first chapter of the Livre des étoffes, we invite you to discover the origin, treatment and use of this emblematic fabric.
The concept of the Livre des étoffes
The Livre des étoffes Le Minor is an invitation to discover each fabric as a unique story. The wool sheet explored in this first chapter is a perfect illustration of this concept: a fabric that tells the story of our heritage, our eco-responsible approach and our commitment to quality.
Weaving and fulling: a family recipe since... 1865
Our woollen cloth is produced by Jules Tournier & Fils, a Tarn-based company that was already making woollen cloth for French army coats... under Napoleon III!
As with Le Minor, Tournier's know-how is fully integrated and rooted in the region: spinning, dyeing, weaving and fulling.
As at Le Minor, know-how is passed on internally, from generation to generation, to perpetuate methods that guarantee high quality, such as mechanical fulling. This step consists of beating the fabric, while moistening it, with wooden treads, to make it felt, windproof and water-repellent.
In 2022, we visited the workshops of our partners Jules Tournier, and produced a film documenting this magnificent expertise.
A circular and responsible approach
At Le Minor, sustainability is at the heart of our production. The cut and sew activity generates around 10 to 15% of textile waste, i.e. almost 15 tonnes a year. Rather than being thrown away, these scraps - mainly wool and cotton - are sorted and recycled.
Navy-blue wool offcuts are entrusted to the family-owned Jules Tournier factory, located in the Tarn region of France. This wool is given a new lease of life in the form of woollen cloth, which is reintegrated into our coats. Today, 30% of the wool used in our coats comes from our own recycled offcuts, demonstrating our commitment to circular and responsible production.
Thread-dyed wool cloth: a color that lasts
The Le Minor wool sheet benefits from the traditional yarn-dyeing technique. This method fixes the color in the fibers and preserves its natural highlights for a long time, offering a much more elegant and resistant result than less costly industrial processes.
The result: a noble, robust and refined material that dresses our iconic designs while preserving their radiance over time.
Iconic collections sublimated by wool cloth
Woolen cloth is a mainstay of our collections. It dresses the kabig, the caban or the vareuse, offering comfort, warmth and elegance. Each garment bears witness to our mastery of production, from the recovery of offcuts to the finished product.
These coats endure the seasons, embodying both timeless style and respect for Le Minor values: quality, durability and craftsmanship.
Conclusion: between tradition and durability
The Le Minor wool sheet is more than just a material. It symbolizes our philosophy of recycling, controlling our supply chain and preserving our heritage. This first chapter of the Book of Fabrics illustrates how elegance and sustainability can coexist in every piece of our collections, paving the way for the discovery of other fabrics and their unique stories.
Read the other chapters of our "book of fabrics":
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