Glove-making | Explore Millau

Why the Millau glove?

The Jurassic limestone soils or Causses that surround Millau, large almost deserted plateaus, cold in winter, parched in summer lend themselves poorly to cultivation because they are shallow, rocky and dry. Grass is thin and scarce; sheep alone can find the food they need in vast spaces.

The consequence is that two industries have grown out of this suitability of the soil:

the Roquefort cheese industry, as flocks of ewes are exploited to produce the milk that will make the cheese. Breeders keep only the lambs they need to renew the flock, while the others are slaughtered at around one month of age to keep the mother’s milk.
The skin of these young lambs or regords is used by the Millau glove factory. This can be explained by the proximity of the two centers and the age of these 2 industries.
Labor: to transform this raw material, a large workforce is required, and this is the essential problem for manufacturers, as the machine only plays a small part. Millavia’s workforce is highly specialized.

Real know-how

millavois

The Millavois made gloves in every material: lambskin from Lacaune, python from Singapore, peccary from Amazonia, ostrich from Australia.

Located in a major sheep-breeding region and on the banks of the river Tarn, Millau was destined to become a city of megisserie and glove-making. Its gloves, renowned for their finesse, made it famous the world over.

Today, Millau’s glove makers still produce collections for houses such as Dior or Chanel, and after Grace Kelly it’s Nicole Kidman who says she’s crazy about these incomparable skins.

What is it?Hardware

Megisserie is a local term to define the working of small, thin skin like lambskin!!
The equivalent of mégisserie is tannerie, another term to define the working of skin.

1Early 19th century :

20 glove factories and 400 jobs

21821 :

First exports to the United States of Millau lambskin gloves, considered a symbol of French tradition and know-how.

31887 :

70 glove factories, 1,500 male and 6,000 female workers; a third of production shipped to the United States.

41891-1914 :

55 glove factories, 300,000 pairs of gloves manufactured.

51931 :

The major Millavois firms (Guibert, Jonquet, Buscarlet, Lauret), which had opened stores in Paris, other major French cities, Geneva and London, took part in the Paris Colonial Exhibition that year, and were again present at the 1937 Universal Exhibition.

61963, a record year for glove sales:

75 glove factories, 2,000 workshop workers and 3,000 to 4,000 home-based jobs; 395,000 dozen gloves manufactured, of which 322,000 sold in France and 73,000 abroad.

71971 :

A serious crisis for the glove-making industry in Millau, with the arrival on the national market of gloves produced in countries with low labor costs.

81989 :

18 glove factories and 300 employees.

950s

In the 1950s, when Jean Ribière was working in Aveyron, the glove-making industry in Millau was flourishing. Numerous home workers, paid by the hour, came every week to pick up the pieces to be sewn, the famous étavillons. In the factories, a host of workers carry out the many operations required to make a glove. Jean Ribière photographed them step by step"
This album gathers 34 photographs around the work of Millau glovemakers commented by Marie-Claude Dupin-Valaison.

Fashion goes out of style, style never

Coco Chanel

The glove currently in Millau

Glove discovery tour

and its history

To discover all the facets of glove-making in Millau, there are 3 avenues open to you:

The MUMIG or Musée de Millau et des Grands Causses
This museum has several collections dealing with paleontology, protohistory, Gallo-Roman antiquity and, of course, a section dedicated to leatherwork and glove-making. The various aspects of leatherworking, from the transformation of raw hides into fine, rot-proof skins, through to tanning and dyeing, are presented at the museum.
The guided tour
Whether you’re with friends, a couple or a group, the best way to find out all about the history of the glove in Millau is still to enjoy a full guided tour accompanied by our tour guide, who will share all the secrets of our glovemakers.
And why not discover it from the inside…
3 glovemaking houses open their doors to you, Causse Gantier, Maison Fabre and Atelier du Gantier. Take the time to catch a glimpse of a passion as you visit the stores of these manufacturers.

An international reputation

yesterday and today

International ambassadors!

Praised by the major haute couture houses and showbiz stars, the Millau leather glove is exported beyond our borders, thanks to the expertise of megissiers, stylists and glove makers passionate about the meticulous workmanship of the skin.

Millau boasts international ambassadors such as Nicole Kidman, Kilye Minogue, Sharon Stone, Madonna, Rihanna, Pharel Williams, Beyonce, Daft Punk and more recently Brigitte Macron …

These “stars” all sport the trendy, timeless fashion accessory: the glove!”