“This decision tears our hearts out,” assure Christelle Bois, Michel Gouzon and Béatrice Mongella. These three leaders have just announced the cessation, at the end of April, of the lingerie brand Indiscrète, whose underwear was finely assembled and sewn in Chauvigny, in Vienne. This factory had benefited from an immense outpouring of national solidarity in 2018 after its placement in receivership and the suicide of one of its founders, Didier Degrand.
The many donations and orders had saved the company and its seamstresses, holders of real know-how. Their three leaders did not wish to comment further on this “sad news”. The company, they said, “will continue with its complementary activity” and should fully focus on subcontracting on behalf of major luxury brands.
An “increasingly difficult” niche
“We have to renew ourselves, we are going to refocus completely on custom work. We reserve our first announcements for our employees ”, only explained to the Parisian Michel Gouzon, the CEO and majority shareholder of the Chauvinoise company. It was founded in 2010 after Aubade relocated to Tunisia – its historic headquarters were then in Saint-Savin, not far from Chauvigny.
For twelve years, the Indiscrète factory – labeled living heritage company (EPV) – has thus defended “with ups and downs” its artisanal, high-end products entirely made in France. Despite the desire to promote “made in France”, its companies and its jobs, this niche would be, according to Michel Gouzon, “more and more difficult”.