Haase Innovation: boldly preserving and developing savoir-faire

It all began in 1905 for Haase Innovation, a family business specializing in circular and flat knits, and an expert in velvet knits, which employed over 600 people in its workshops in Manthes. It was in 2014 that the story took a turn. Marine Anton, who had joined Haase Innovation 8 years earlier and had moved quickly through the company, acquiring both commercial and technical expertise, took the bold decision to buy the garment making workshop Histoire de Women and then Haase Innovation, which was then in great difficulty. Marine Anton committed herself, at the age of 28, to taking over these companies in order to safeguard jobs and maintain French savoir-faire.

Priority to savoir-faire and people

Crédit photo :© Haase Innovation">

Faced with Marine Anton's desire to develop the business with the major luxury Houses, the urgency of recruitment became apparent. However, she and her teams had to face up to the reluctance of workers who had experienced closures and liquidations in the sector over recent decades, a consequence of relocation.

Haase Innovation then decided to demonstrate its motivation and commitment by launching an original initiative: "we decided to attempt the distribution of 3,000 leaflets offering training in a new profession to nearby residents". The 400-hour training course, funded by the Region and run in collaboration with Maya Campus (formerly Créatech), covers garment making, textile techniques, machine mechanics, coaching, ironing and hand finishing. "This initiative is destined to be repeated" according to Marine Anton, who is satisfied with the experience since "since their recruitment, they (her teams) have risen in skills and versatility incredibly quickly!". A new training and recruitment session is presumable, all the more so as the reunion of Haase Innovation and AMS Innovation on the same site by 2025 will grant a more substantial space for the garment making part and necessitate enlarging the teams.

In her recruitment and in the life of her company, Marine Anton emphasizes her priority towards people: "At Haase, my teams are extremely close-knit and they constantly help each other, because there's a real company spirit and a common goal. I consult my teams very often, especially when it comes to recruitment and major decisions [...]. Savoir-faire can be learned, but I focus on interpersonal skills. My coaching training has enabled me to put in place elements that promote good cohesion."

An integrated workshop for a complete range of services

The aim of taking over both companies was also to offer something beyond garment making: "the takeover of the two companies has meant that today we can offer our customers a complete package, i.e. knitting, product development unit, garment making in Knits and warp and weft, and production management. The customer sends us a sketch and we manage from A to Z" she proudly asserts. She adds that "being integrated allows us to manage our working time and to easily organize and prioritize the knitting and garment making stages"

The range of services offered by Haase Innovation even extends to creative guidance: "We went further in developing our services by using my initial training as a fashion designer / technical fashion designer. I perfected my knits manufacturing skills to be able to offer a creative accompaniment service". She even adds a dimension of innovation: "we've become able to create new materials. We've developed new velvets [...] now we'll just give me the collection moodboards and I'll look for the threads, create the materials, I'll feed my customer over 100 samples per shipment."

At AMS Innovation, Haase Innovation also carries out embroidery and sublimation printing. A range of skills and services appealing in particular to the most prestigious Houses, whether for their fashion shows, their collections or for VIP requests, which are becoming more and more numerous.

The constant quest for technical improvement and innovation

Photo credit :© Haase Innovation">

Haase Innovation is committed to continuous improvement and innovation, in particular through the use of 3D prototyping and artificial intelligence for setting scratches and patterns on the latest-generation cutting table, and locating material defects. Automatic cutting, according to Marine Anton, was a substantial investment of €300,000 that has delivered significant productivity gains: "we've gone from a 17-minute cutting time to 2 minutes 30, considerably reducing the amount of waste, except for products with elaborate material mixes where it's still a challenge," she explains.

In addition, to guarantee regular and growing business, Marine Anton has developed and diversified the type of materials knitted, pointing out: "I knew that Haase's historic strength was knits and had become mainly a manufacturer of velvet knits, a winter material, notably for Sonia Rykiel our historic customer. Our production was therefore cyclical. We invested in machines that enable us to make jersey, interlock and finer products, so that we can get orders for our customers' spring-summer collections. We've managed to smooth out the work over the year."

Haase Innovation, Histoire de Women and AMS Innovation thus embody a French success story, combining tradition, innovation and human commitment to create quality products in the world of luxury fashion. "There's a real synergy between the three companies", underlines Marine Anton, especially in their shared commitment to Made in France, to the preservation of savoir-faire, as evidenced by their Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label.

For more information: https://www.haaseinnovation.com/