Saint James is named after the little Norman village where it is located. And it’s an institution here. Since 1889, it has been home to a woollen navy knitwear and cotton sailor suits factory. And you can visit it! Step inside one of the largest knitting parks in Europe.
The meticulous skills of master knitters
Welcome to the Ateliers Saint James! Weaving, knitting, sewing… You’ll discover all the stages involved in making Saint James jumpers and sailor shirts. From the large knitting machines to the finished product, it takes no less than 15 days to make the garments that come out of this huge ‘beehive’. Large, colourful cones of wool are scattered everywhere, unwinding endlessly. The long needles of the machines dance, intertwining the coloured threads. In the workshops, the seamstresses concentrate on their sewing machines, assembling the swathes of cotton.
A little further on, in a closed room, specialised seamstresses carry out the mending process in an almost religious silence. Not a sound is allowed to distract them, for their work is pretty meticulous. They identify and repair the tiny irregularities left by the looms. You can feel the attention and precision in their scissor and needle strokes. Once the garment is finished and checked ‘from every angle’, it is ironed and folded. You will then find it in the factory shop in the same building.
Emblematic clothing
In France, almost everyone knows the cotton marinière or the Saint James matelot jumper. But did you know that they meet strict specifications?
Take the cotton marinière, for example. There are 16 indigo blue stripes on a white background on the body and 13 on the sleeves. 104 cotton flowers, 4.4 km of cotton thread and 11 stages of production. It is the uniform of the sailors of the French Navy. But it is also a fashion accessory, first popularised by Coco Chanel in 1916, then by Yves Saint Laurent and later by Jean Paul Gaultier. It was worn by Etienne Daho, Brigitte Bardot, Françoise Hardy, Serge Gainsbourg and Audrey Tautou!
The Matelot jumper requires 23 km of wool yarn and 18 production stages. The wool used comes from New Zealand or Australia, where it is of the highest quality. It is woven very tightly in the pure tradition of sailor jumpers.
A history deeply linked to the sea
It is said that St James was born from the sea. And it’s true! The Saint James spinning mill began by weaving and dyeing local wool from the nearby bay of the Mont-Saint-Michel. The first bobbins were used to make hats, socks and knitwear. After the war, the company gave up spinning and dyeing and concentrated exclusively on knitting. The first sailor’s sweater appeared. Long, a little rough and knitted very tightly, it was warm and almost waterproof. It was a favourite with fishermen and sailors, who made it part of their wardrobe. It was a far cry from the softness and suppleness of today’s Saint James garments. The ‘real sailor jumper’ became very popular in the 70’s with the rise of the ‘sailor style’ which was very much in vogue at the time. Since then, the company’s expertise has been recognised by the French government as a ‘Living Heritage Company’. Today, this know-how is exported all over the world!
Thematics