Artisanal excellence at A&B Couture
Since its Design in 2018, A&B Couture has established itself as a key player in French manufacturing for luxury goods. Headed by Tristan Henner, the group brings together several historic ateliers, each specialized in specific savoir-faire and recognized for their excellence. By combining tradition and modernity, A&B Couture offers a unique response to the demands of the most prestigious Homes.
Tristan Henner, after a long career in mass retail, chose to enter the world of fashion and apparel manufacturing to perpetuate artisanal savoir-faire while injecting a new management and development dynamic. "I created A&B Couture to bring together different workshops with complementary savoir-faire, but always with the excellence of their own know-how. Today, we employ over 300 people", he explains.
A wealth of complementary Savoir-faire
Tristan Henner, Managing Director of A&B Couture Photo credit : ©A&B Couture">A&B Couture stands out for its wealth of skills, with each of the group's 4 ateliers contributing a unique expertise. Belles Roches Couture is renowned for its savoir-faire in the creation of structured pieces, while Baizet focuses exclusively on "flou / soft dressmaking". The Auvinet and AM Façon workshops, meanwhile, combine "flou / soft dressmaking" and "structured" techniques representing a real asset for the company in terms of adaptability to customer needs, but also on the seamstresses' side, offering them diversity in the exercise of their professions.
Working groups are between 6 and 8 people, with up to 16 on the production line. An exception is made for the "model mechanics", high-level craftsmen capable of making a garment in its entirety, who are responsible in particular for one-off, VIP, press and catwalk pieces.
In 2020, A&B Couture acquired Mode Design, a product development unit that offers a complementary service to the activity of the workshops. This product development unit is able to work from designers' sketches, creating canvases on mannequins and making prototypes to guarantee the fall and reaction of materials. The design process is a close collaboration with the artistic teams, aiming to meet the highest quality standards. The manager points out the advantage of long-term relationships with customers: "that's where it's useful to work over time, because we know the designer's pencil stroke and we know what he's looking for in the assembly technique".
Craft at the heart of the group's synergies
Crédit photos : ©A&B Couture">"We're in the craft business, and I define that by the fact that the machines we use are only there to help the hand, unlike other industries where the man helps the machine", points out Tristan Henner. Indeed, the group favors the hand stitch savoir-faire that meets the expectations of its luxury customers: "we do a lot of hand stitch, which represents between 30% and 50% and can go up to 70% of the time it takes to make a garment. It's part of luxury manufacturing to give hand-stitch time to products. Hand stitch gives a rhythm, a particular pressure and more discretion to the seams" explains the manager.
The workshops are, for all that, equipped with the latest technology with camera- and scanner-assisted cutting tables enabling maximum fabric utilization while guaranteeing perfect pattern alignment. "Thermobonding and decatizing machines, precisely adjusted by our craftsmen, ensure that each piece meets the strictest quality standards", he adds. "However, there is nothing that can replace the eye, the hand and experience, as fabrics are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with a focus on natural fibers and fewer finishes, creating instability in the material".
Tristan Henner stands out for his management and commitment to skills development within his company. A&B Couture invests in the training of its craftsmen with training cycles: "initial", "continuous" and "transmission", enabling new talent to progress. "Today, I'm working for tomorrow at last", asserts the manager, underlining the importance of anticipating recruitment. Indeed, the group recruits between 30 and 40 people a year, with a training process that can take 2 to 3 years to make a person fully autonomous. "What's important for us in recruitment is manual agility, eye for detail and, above all, people skills", explains Tristan Henner. The latter insists on the crucial role played by the workshop mechanic, "I recommend anyone with a fibre and a taste for mechanics, electronics and diversity in work, to come to our sector", he encourages.
"We give priority to the versatility of our teams, which enables our craftsmen to develop real professional careers and makes us agile in the face of customer demands", explains Tristan Henner. This flexibility is essential to maintaining excellence in a dynamic environment like fashion and luxury, where trends evolve rapidly.
A group with strong values
Crédit photos : ©A&B Couture">The core values of A&B Couture are based on a passionate team, where integrity, excellence and commitment blend with a management approach founded on proximity, exemplarity and team spirit. "Everything we do must follow these lines", Tristan Henner sums up, underlining the group's commitment to its values and working principles.
Employee well-being and fulfillment are of paramount importance to the manager, who is constantly introducing new measures to relieve the physical strain on his teams, such as the acquisition of a robot that wanders around Belles Roches Couture's huge workshop to move all the heavy loads such as rolls of fabric or batches of garments being made.
A&B Couture is also committed to an eco-responsible approach. "My policy is one of constant small steps, there's no investment or new process that doesn't take the environmental notion into account, everything is an opportunity to work on these subjects" explains the manager. "We can even say that customers are very sensitive to these environmental notions, and in the end, complying with the law in France means leading the way in environmental and social terms". As an Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV) and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified company, A&B Couture confirms its commitment to artisanal excellence and sustainability.
Made in France is also at the heart of A&B Couture's identity. For Tristan Henner, the term is much more than a simple guarantee of quality: it represents a commitment to responsible, sustainable practices. "For me, Made in France symbolizes excellence and requires protection. It must be consistent between communication and manufacturing, and represents environmental responsibility by promoting local production. It's an opportunity to recreate a high-quality, job-creating industry, contributing to the excellence of French fashion and craftsmanship. It's essential to defend made-in-France wherever it's legitimate", he asserts. In line with this vision, the CEO explains that he is open to young designers,"we can accompany 2 a year as "accepted risk-taking" with our means to support young people who do their utmost to produce in France".
A&B Couture thus embodies the excellence of French savoir-faire, combining tradition and modernity to offer high-quality products. The group continues to develop and innovate, while remaining true to its core values of quality, integrity and sustainability. For Tristan Henner and his teams, the future lies in the ability to combine creativity and responsibility, while maintaining the highest standards of French craftsmanship. Working with A&B Couture means "making all creative dreams possible and meeting the most demanding expectations of a fashion-savvy clientele".
To find out more, discover the fact sheets of the companies in the A&B Couture group:
