Bocage Avenir Couture, the beauty of collective action
In the heart of the Deux-Sèvres region, Bocage Avenir Couture embodies a unique vision of French garment making. At the crossroads of traditional craftsmanship, social commitment and high-end standards, this workshop makes flou / soft dressmaking pieces in the most delicate materials for the most prestigious Home brands. The company represents a collective adventure driven by passion and resilience.
Brigitte Legay, president of this Société Coopérative et Participative (SCOP) and workshop manager, steers the ship with determination and a sense of collective purpose. "Coordinating, animating, making beautiful and good things within the given timeframe, safeguarding and animating know-how on a daily basis": such is her mission, nourished by a deep knowledge of the professions, solid local roots, and great determination.
A family heritage and collective reinvention
Bocage Avenir Couture wasn't built in a day. Its history dates back to the 60s, when the "Cousseau" couple founded a family garment making business in the bocage under the name "Bocage Confection", quickly becoming a local mainstay. At the time, up to 210 people were busy in the workshop, making men's, women's and children's knitted and woven garments. A rich savoir-faire, destined to specialize over time.
In the 90s, their daughter took up the torch and refocused the business on a variety of mid- to high-end products, investing in assisted cutting, upskilling operators and gradually turning to women's luxury and young designers. "We were recognized for our savoir-faire", recalls Brigitte Legay. But relocation struck. The company was bought out, then placed in receivership in 2002.
That's when a hard core of 56 willing employees decided not to give up. With the help of a new manager, Mr. Normand, the workshop was reborn as a SCOP: "We all became associate employees, each contributing a month's net salary to rebuild the cash flow". Machinery bought out, premises resized and relocated, strategy refocused on women's luxury ready-to-wear only on very varied and more or less technically complex products: Bocage Avenir Couture begins a new life. Brigitte Legay took over as CEO in 2018, and today the SCOP continues to keep the collective spirit alive and drives the corporate culture accompanied by its Board of Directors and Consulting members.
An exceptional contract manufacturer serving luxury
If Bocage Avenir Couture appeals to the major Home, it's for its high technical standards, its responsiveness and adaptability, and the trust it establishes with its customers. With a fleet of over 200 machines, the Bocage Avenir Couture workshop produces complex pieces using a wide range of savoir-faire, including smocking, ribbed pleating, day stitch, picot stitch, AMF stitch and, of course, a majority of hand stitches. The workshop is thus equipped with rich skills in flou / soft dressmaking to work delicate materials such as silk, chiffon, organza, crepe, lace or even a little jersey."We can make one-off pieces to batches of 1,500", stresses the manager.
The heart of the workshop is based on versatile production groups. Some produce large batches, while others are dedicated to catwalk, press or VIP pieces. "We no longer work in lines but in production groups", explains Brigitte Legay. The team accompanies brands in their processes, "studies to simplify stages, adapts the offer to the needs of stylists and designers", proposes technical solutions according to guides and equipment, while respecting tight deadlines and quality criteria. The manager testifies that her team is "constantly doing gymnastics to organize the distribution of loads in the workshop according to the hazards in order to meet the desired deadlines as closely as possible". A proactive stance that makes Bocage Avenir Couture a valued partner, capable of reconciling craftsmanship, innovation and responsibility.
A cooperative, human and committed company
Bocage Avenir Couture is a SCOP in the noblest sense of the word: a solidarity-based collective, rooted in its territory and looking to the future. It's a company where employees are also the majority shareholders, owning a share of the capital and having an equal say in important decisions. This cooperative model favors collective involvement, transparency, the sustainability of projects, its future and the sharing of wealth.
The workshop, which today has between 75 and 80 employees who are majority shareholders, has been integrating into its teams "new talents with or without a professions base, apprentices, retraining, for around 6 years to anticipate various departures (retirements and others...). The people who join us want to stabilize"and while the professions require "4 to 5 years to become comfortable", the structure trains continuously with strong coaching and advocating versatility.
The question of transmission is central: "We try to maintain our workforce and preserve know-how", the company relies on internal and external training. In addition, to improve well-being and working conditions, the workshop invests in ergonomics: specific chairs, anti-fatigue mats, lifting dummies, shelves etc... to relieve, raise awareness and optimize prevention.
Committed to a CSR approach, Bocage Avenir Couture is now aiming for the "Les Ateliers Engagés label from the GFF (Groupement Fabrication Française)". More than a workshop, it's a project for society: garment making that's more human, more local, more sustainable, seeking to strengthen its territorial roots and develop a network of partners. A clear ambition, anchored in a cooperative model where each employee actively participates in the development of a project giving life to the most refined luxury pieces.
To find out more, discover the company profile of Bocage Avenir Couture.
