The town of Elbeuf has been known for its woollen cloth production since the Middle Ages. It quickly made a name for itself beyond the borders of Normandy. In the 19th century, the mechanization of cloth manufacturing processes gave a new lease of life to the cloth industry and led to large factories setting up in town centres. These establishments were renowned for their high-quality cloth that was commercialized for a wide array of uses. Garments were a major outlet. The Palais Galliera houses a "Aux Fabriques Réunies d’Elbeuf" trade catalogue and two "Groupement Industriel de l’Habillement" catalogues in its collections.
The 1852-founded Aux Fabriques Réunies d’Elbeuf manufacture won the first prize at the 1879 exhibition in Paris for its fine cloth manufacturing. It is stated in the 1924 trade catalogue, whose front cover was colour-illustrated by Cazenove, that the offices-workshops are located at 4 Rue des Champs in Elbeuf and that the annexes and branches are in Rue Desmonts. Measurement taking and fittings were, however, located in Paris at 26 Rue du Faubourg-du-Temple. The catalogue, which included some 176 fabric samples, mentions that the firm manufactures its own fabrics and that the samples affixed to the catalogue "are cut from items in the shop that are used to make the clothes". The manufacture sent its catalogues along with the fabric samples for free so that its clients would be well aware of the quality of its products. As such, clients were reassured that they were getting exactly what they had chosen.
The Groupement Industriel de l'Habillement (GIH) factories were located on Place Lecallier, Rue Saint Jacques and Rue Camille Randoing in Elbeuf. GIH was a manufacturer of "grand tailleur style" made-to-measure clothes and also sold directly from the factory to the consumer at wholesale prices and rates. Illustrated advertising catalogues and samples were sent to clients for free.
Click below to discover the Fabriques Réunies d'Elbeuf 1924 / Groupement Industriel de l'Habillement 1924 and 1925 catalogue flipbooks.