In the right thread of history

At the head of the brand Le Mont Saint Michel, Alexandre Milan, heir of a long line of textile manufacturers, and his wife Marie perpetuate the tradition of authentic and sustainable fashion from their design studio in Brittany.

By Litza GEORGOPOULOS for M Le magazine du Monde. Photography : Théophile TROSSAT

Lengthening the twist of this giant sweater, ideal for telecommuting, reducing the ribs, changing the color palette... In the long building with multiple arcades, which in the 19th century housed carriages and coaches, the "postponement" is an important moment for the team to question and adjust the first prototypes. In this case, those of the fall-winter 2022-2023 knitwear collection, before they go into production with (European) manufacturers. To house the design studio for his fashion label, Alexandre Milan moved into the former stables of the property his grandmother bought in 1960. Behind the wrought iron gate, past the entrance pavilion, lies a forest, a 17th century castle with topiary gardens, more recent outbuildings, and, on the edge of the pond, the funeral chapel of a former notorious owner, Jean Ambroise Baston, Count of Lariboisière and General of the Empire.

In this place full of history, other histories cross paths and are rewritten. Alexandre Milan represents the fourth generation of textile industrialists from the north of France. In 1919, his great-grandmother, Caroline Lesaffre, founded a hosiery factory. Her two daughters succeeded her, then Patrice Milan, son of one of them and father of Alexandre, took over the management of Tricotages de l'Aa - "Aa" for the name of the river irrigating Wizernes, the cradle of this family who nevertheless set up their residence and factory in the region of Brittany, an hour's drive from Mont-Saint-Michel. Patrice Milan, a brilliant technician, and his wife, Lydie, a fine draughtswoman, developed the company. After having, as a child, built huts in the woods, fished in the river and admired the patina of Amand the guardian's overalls, Alexandre Milan trained in Switzerland to understand the programming of knitting machines, then worked alongside his parents as a product manager: "I had to translate technically, and sometimes stylistically, what brands like Agnès B., Isabel Marant or Joseph wanted...".

In 1998, the young man acquired Le Mont Saint Michel, an iconic workwear brand from the French Grand Ouest, created in 1913 but dormant since the late 1970s. "I felt a strong attachment to the clothes that farmers and craftsmen wore here. The name was magical and the logo was great. Under this label, Alexandre Milan initially signed retro knitwear collections. The family factory - 5000 square meters, 4 boilers, 80 knitting machines - closed. He then immersed himself in his textile heritage, rich in half a century of archives. The sweaters, cardigans, tank tops with virtuoso knitting stitches and saturated colors that he imagines, and that he presents with his wife at trade shows, first seduce Japanese buyers. Today, the brand exports to 15 countries and has developed a loyal following in three major markets: Scandinavia, Korea and the United States. I left my job at Lagardère's advertising department," recalls Marie Milan. Now, I continue to manage business development and Alexandre handles the creative part and production sourcing. We are very complementary, but we often step on each other's toes. It's a duo job.

In 2011, the couple returned more faithfully in the footsteps of the brand, researching and studying the archives with a historian, meeting a former worker. And then reissues the identical century-old work jacket, cut in the original 100% cotton moleskin fabric, with beautiful density, heavy weight and weaving with a slightly shiny satin weave. The label is hand numbered. It is now a must-have for the wardrobe, and is available in fifteen colors.

In the midst of the pandemic, the Instagram community called to vote elected a new color, a very soft old pink. But with the cancellation, for the past two years, of trade shows in Paris, London, Copenhagen, New York, Tokyo, Florence, the independent company is experiencing a decline in sales. Faced with this brutal health crisis, the small structure had to adapt its way of working. Marie Milan is not ready to go around the world again. Buyers will now choose the new collections on a digital platform "special trade" and a showroom has been set up above the Parisian store. Finally, we are making more qualitative appointments," she acknowledges. As for winning back a clientele that has deserted the boutiques... we feel it's a big job."

Between the little touches slipped into orders - a pocket book, a sprig of lily of the valley - and the many messages of support and thanks sent by customers, the shopping experience, on a growing merchant site, has gained in humanity. Away from the castle, which remains the private residence of Mrs. Milan mother, the links have also become closer. The handful of employees have taken over the magical, old-fashioned charm of the place, which is close to their offices. The neglected vegetable garden, renovated and planted, has yielded 200 kilos of butternut squash. In pots in the greenhouse overgrown with old vines, the cuttings from the generous hydrangeas that line the paths will go into the store in the spring.

ooting, cultivation, harvest... It looks like a parable of the touching vestiges of an extinct textile industry that serve as a breeding ground for current creations: there, about forty files containing the drawings of Alexandre Milan's mother, here hundreds of robracks, examples of knitwear stapled on cardboard. "We keep all these things preciously, says the designer. To assemble the collections, we come every two days to pick from these samples drawn by my father, my mother, myself, and which each in their own way testify to an era." Mrs. Filleul, head knitter of the Aa knitting mill, still comes to make preparatory tests for Le Mont Saint Michel on the manual knitting machines lined up in the attic, where in the past about thirty people worked to make the prototypes.

Since its original "mother collection", nearly 4,000 garments have been lined up in one room of the building. With two collections a year, for men and women, about 500 models are produced each year. A little less since the beginning of the pandemic. Alongside the Milan team are a handful of passionate and versatile employees: knitwear product manager, garment product manager, collection assistant, after-sales service manager, brand content manager, e-shop manager and communication manager. Then there is an accountant and a storekeeper.

In order to harmonize fashion and workwear proposals, the brand has evolved towards collections that play the authenticity card, adopting less vivid, more organic colors, in keeping with the land where they are created. Each season, we start by reworking our DNA products, with new proportions, new details," explains Alexandre Milan. And we are always looking for new materials. Once we have found a yarn or fabric that inspires us, we imagine a frame for it, a shape in which its expression will be the most accurate and contemporary. At the moment, we are developing a lot of recycled materials. And we reuse our old yarns in new productions, which saves raw materials and transportation." To move in the direction of responsible and sustainable fashion, Le Mont Saint Michel destocks past collections on its website. Among them are sometimes old work clothes from the archives collected by the founders. Under this vintage tab, Marie Milan also proposes a selection of objects found in the area, rozell (pancake rake) or Breton dishes...