Made in France: Normandy's textile industries are overwhelmed and struggling to recruit

At the time of made in France, Norman textile factories are increasingly sought after by brands. A rebirth after the ravages of deindustrialization but they are also struggling to keep pace due to the lack of manpower.

The label made in France was probably popular at the foot of the tree. While calls are increasing for a relocation of industrial production in France, 100% French manufacturing is on the rise, especially in textiles. The health crisis seems to have stimulated a demand for more local and responsible clothing. Is the trend set to last? Are factories ready for the challenge?

Precisely in Normandy, the factories see the requests flowing in, without being able to meet the demand. The problem: insufficient manpower. In Buchy, for example, near Rouen, Mod passion has been installed for almost 40 years. In this company, we are manufacturers. That is to say that we manufacture for brands. The factory works with 4 or 5 rather high-end customers who have chosen to manufacture in France for a long time.

If the site has managed to maintain itself while many were closing, it is because its manager for 15 years, Stephane Marseille, has chosen to invest in ultra-modern machines.

"I think we are at the top of innovation, we have state-of-the-art machines," says Sophie Alingre, production manager. "All employees have tablets, so you can see the pace, performance...anything related to the business."

In recent months, in addition to historical customers, the manufacturer has seen an influx of requests. Latest: Vertbaudet, the ready-to-wear brand for children has decided to have a collection made in Normandy. In all, 9000 pieces: sweatshirts for the whole family sold between 37 and 49 euros.

A sector struggling to recruit

But in the immediate future difficult to manufacture more. The factory, which expanded a few months ago, can no longer expand and is struggling to recruit. In addition to the 45 employees, a dozen positions are to be filled.

"People still have a bad image of old factory work when we have a workshop with high quality standards. I think people are wrong about the work itself", explains Léa Baudouin, second mechanic.

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At Sonofa in Oissel, discretion is the key word. Here you will not see much of what is made because the workshop works for luxury. It is linked with major Parisian fashion houses by very strict confidentiality clauses. A demand for perfection which accentuates recruitment problems.

"We are looking for any type of application. The main goal is to have an innate manual dexterity. From the moment you have a passion for this job, you are a taker!" Says Sophie Aubry, executive assistant at Sonofa , Pierre Nogales workshops.

The workshop where 28 people work today is looking for 20 additional employees on permanent contracts, mechanics, seamstresses, but also cutters. Positions are to be filled immediately in order to ensure orders.

On its social networks, the workshop has imagined a rather special advent calendar with a job offer to discover every day.

In this workshop, we are far from assembly line work. Evening or cocktail dresses are made by hand, often in silk. However, these positions do not attract young graduates from the region. "However, it's a dream job! As a general rule, young girls leaving school are looking for luxury and creation. And they want to go to Paris or the Paris region to become a model maker. Unfortunately, to achieve this dream, the places are counted", adds Sophie Aubry.

In the end, these two companies recruit people without any diploma and take care of training them. For Made in France to become a reality again, it may therefore be necessary to change the training courses.

Near Rouen, a clothing design institute

Faced with the multiplication of job offers in the textile industry and the difficulty for companies to recruit, a designer from Rouen decided to launch a training course. And it was in Caudebec-les-Elbeuf that she created her clothing design institute. "The idea is to learn all the styles of sewing. The training that we offer does not exist in the region", explains Fatimata Dia Léonard, head of the clothing model institute.

And it is naturally "Aux Tissages", that this 35-year-old designer specializing in made-to-measure jackets has established herself. A former textile company specializing in printing recently rehabilitated. “We quickly understood that there was a pool of jobs that existed and that these jobs were not filled because there was no qualification opposite”, explains Laurent Bonnaterre, mayor of Caudebec les Elbeuf. .

From January 2022, 6 trainees will therefore be welcomed for 4 to 12 weeks of initial training. "We are on a process of going to companies to see what they need. The goal is that people who train leave with a job," adds Fatimata Dia Léonard.

If this course is not yet a diploma for the moment, it should become so in the coming months.