Confection des Deux-Sèvres: garment making that lasts!
In Courlay, Confection des Deux-Sèvres (C2S) embodies 100 years of textile history and a rare industrial modernity. The site, founded in 1925, has never ceased to be home to clothing activities. Even today, this longevity is reflected in the company's unique expertise in top-of-the-range Measure shirts and workwear-inspired ready-to-wear.
Through its savoir-faire, its own brands such as Kidur, and its ability to adapt, C2S continues to assert its vision of French manufacturing. The company, far from resting on its heritage, claims a dynamic future. "C2S is a story of diversification, company turnarounds, moving upmarket, autonomy and taking pride too, because we love what we do", sums up Alexandre Clary, President of SAS C2S.
A century of transformations: from resistant fabric to high-end Mesure
The story begins in 1925 with the manufacture of Cholet handkerchiefs, then strong fabrics for workers. They "resist wear and tear", "hold color" and define the enduring DNA of the future Kidur brand, created in 1935. The 1930s to 1970s see significant growth: several hundred employees, over a million pieces a year and the creation of a weaving and garment making school with the French Education Nationale.
The entry into the 1980s marks a shock: the end of weaving, international competition, changing markets. In 1988, the company filed for bankruptcy. It was then that 230 of the 300 employees put their redundancy payments into capital to save the industrial plant. C2S was born of a collective determination to preserve local savoir-faire.
In the 1990s, the company specialized in made-to-measure shirts. Teams develop automated patternmaking tools, digital solutions and serve specialist retailers in all major European capitals. Until 2015, C2S was the European leader in the segment, capable of producing between 250 and 300 shirts a day. "Every shirt is important, there's always an event behind every Mesure (half-measure, made-to-measure and large-measure) shirt", stresses Alexandre Clary.
From 2015, faced with competition from Spain, Romania or Portugal, the company stepped up its move upmarket. The first collaborations in 2018 for high-end Home lay the foundations for solid expertise in luxury shirts and lightweight Blazers, now at the heart of the business.
An expert, agile and deeply human workshop
The workshop now has 76 employees, with an average age of 42 in production. With almost half the workforce approaching retirement in 2018, C2S has structured an ambitious training policy. This transmission dynamic is embodied in L'Atelier des Talents, an in-house training program designed to recruit and train future artisan seamstresses. "We run one or two promotions a year depending on needs", explains Alexandre Clary. Candidates, selected via France Travail, take part in an information day with a workshop tour and skills tests. The basics of the profession, safety rules and acculturation take place over three months with an in-house trainer, and the professionalization contract lasts three years."Know-how is extremely important: there's a lot of mutual support and a great atmosphere in the company, so we're careful about our recruitment. Demanding, benevolent and enthusiastic!", exclaims the manager.
On the production front, the workshop was redesigned according to the Lean Management approach "We broke and reformed the workshop, disputed until we reached a consensus." "crews" were created, each bearing a name, in a logic of "good industrial practices" consistent with their CSR strategy and Les Ateliers Engagés label. The company continually invests in new equipment and plans to introduce new technologies in the near future, including digital virtual prototyping solutions planned for 2026.
The organization is based on a fine segmentation of savoir-faire, even if all teams are multi-skilled: cutting, thermobonding, patternmaking, assembly, buttons and other finishes such as personalized embroidery. The Product development unit plays a strategic role: technical fashion design, prototyping, automated placement adjustments for made-to-measure, collar design: "The collar designs we develop for a customer belong to him", precises Anne-Louise Le Nevé, Sales & Marketing Manager. However, certain areas of expertise are particularly critical: "Passing on know-how at the iron-on allocation station for collars and cuffs", she explains.
In terms of quality, pattern matched fabrics, the management of striped fabrics, the precision of iron-on or buttonhole typography are among the most subtle skills. What's more, a service particularly appreciated by tailors is that of priority pieces, called "Coupe File": three levels of lead time enable a shirt to be delivered in 48 hours, in a week or "on date". "Some tailorings only work with this", points out Anne-Louise Le Nevé. This model is based on perfect chain synchronization and strong industrial discipline. A real comparative advantage for C2S!
Own brands: laboratories and showcases of savoir-faire
Arrived at C2S in 1999 as an analyst-programmer trainee, Alexandre Clary gradually established himself as one of the company's strategic pillars by developing the first digital tools to manage the design and tracking of made-to-measure shirts, before taking over as head of information systems in 2018.
His cross-functional view of production, product, IT and strategy has accompanied C2S's move upmarket and the relaunch of the Kidur brand. Today, as Chairman of SAS C2S, he has a clear vision: to raise the company's profile, promote its savoir-faire and ensure that it is passed on. He expresses: "the Mesure shirt doesn't give you the notoriety you need to make a name for yourself, yet, particularly to recruit talent, you need to be attractive and visible". Through this visibility, there is also the desire to "show what a workshop is today, it's the jewel in the company's crown". A logic highlighting artisanal French savoir-faire while keeping"an industrial paste", explains the executive.
To this end, in-house brands, both Origine France Garantie (OFG) label holders, DESAIVRE and Kidur play this role, particularly the latter, reactivated as of 2018. "Kidur is even our laboratory: when we feel like trying out a new savoir-faire, we try it out without needing a customer and without the risk of making a mistake. This allows us to master new techniques", explains Alexandre Clary.
The business model is based on digital (website and marketplaces), collaborations and events. Temporary retail, experimented with via pop-ups, has proved demanding:"It's a real job", not least because of the two annual production lines and the need to anticipate sizes. Retail and digital customers are mainly located in the South-West. The brand continues to structure itself: a label is being prepared for the Kidur P/E 2026 collection, which willbe "labeled"and discussions are underway around GOTS.
"C2S sometimes looks like a start-up: it's an old lady that runs fast", concludes Alexandre Clary. A formula that sums up the strength of a workshop capable of combining history, industrial excellence and innovation within this Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV).
To find out more, discover the fiche entreprise de Confection des Deux Sèvres.
