On our third day in the Limousin region, we have the immense privilege of discovering two illustrious houses working with leather in their own way: J M Weston and Ganterie Agnelle.
J . M Weston
Since 1891, J.M Weston has represented the excellence of French footwear, so it’s a rare privilege and a unique moment to visit its factory.
This factory produces the bulk of Weston shoes for France and the rest of the world, and much of the production is still done by hand.
A men’s shoe manufacturer at heart, Weston is best known for its moccasin, which still accounts for over 20% of its production.
J.M Weston employs 200 people in all footwear trades.
Le Puy tannery is a supplier to J M Weston for Hermes and Louis Vuitton. J.M Weston will launch a women’s collection in 2013.
J. M Weston uses over 1,000 calf hides a year.
Each shoe requires between 180 and 200 operations, and each shoe takes between 4 hours of work spread over 6 weeks.
The Agnelle glove factory
For 4 generations at Sain Junien in the Haute-Vienne, glove-making traditions have been handed down from generation to generation. From the 11th century onwards, glovemaking has been a key activity in Saint Junien, one of the cradles of the French glove industry.
In 1937, the glove-making business of Sophie Grégoire’s great-grandfather was added. Agnelle works for some of the world’s leading luxury brands, as well as for its own brand, which is distributed in over 500 outlets worldwide.
Today, at the Saint Junien workshops, the same gestures continue to be used. There are six stages in the making of a glove: choosing the skins, cutting, splitting, sewing, casting and finally dressing.
Over 30 operations and more than 5 hours are needed to make a glove.
And so ends our tour of the Limousin region, with a huge thank you to the Luxe et Excellence association and the CCIP Limoges for their warm welcome and wonderful discoveries.
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