Although jeans are often associated with North America, the material they are made from - denim - actually originates from the southern French city of Nimes. And now a small company has started making jeans in the birthplace of denim.
In his small workshop looking out on to a sun-drenched courtyard in a residential street in Nimes, Guillaume Sagot is cutting up a denim canvas with a giant pair of scissors.
The 31-year-old entrepreneur uses chalk first to draw the outline of the different jean segments before carefully cutting them to size. The cuts will then be sent to Marseille, an hour and a half's drive away, to construct pairs of jeans at a small artisanal textile factory.
Sagot started his business, Ateliers de Nimes, two years ago. The idea was simple: to make jeans in the birthplace of denim.
But in a city that no longer has a textile industry that proved difficult from the outset.
"I had to start completely from scratch," he tells me.
"There is no-one left in Nimes who can make jeans. I found a tailor in Marseille who taught me how to make them and I now do most of the work myself by hand. The factory in Marseille puts all the components of the jeans together."
The birthplace of denim
The term "denim" derives from the French "serge de Nimes", meaning "serge (a sturdy fabric) from Nimes". Yet the fabric is no longer produced anywhere in France.
Sagot therefore buys the denim canvas from the Venice region of Italy, made on an old shuttle-loom from the 1950s.
Although jeans are often associated with North America, the material they are made from - denim - actually originates from the southern French city of Nimes. And now a small company has started making jeans in the birthplace of denim. In his small workshop looking out on to a sun-drenched courtyard in a residential street in Nimes, Guillaume Sagot is cutting up a denim canvas with a giant pair of scissors. The 31-year-old entrepreneur uses chalk first to draw the outline of the different jean segments before carefully cutting them to size. The cuts will then be sent to Marseille, an hour and a half's drive away, to construct pairs of jeans at a small artisanal textile factory. Sagot started his business, Ateliers de Nimes, two years ago. The idea was simple: to make jeans in the birthplace of denim. But in a city that no longer has a textile industry that proved difficult from the outset. "I had to start completely from scratch," he tells me. "There is no-one left in Nimes who can make jeans. I found a tailor in Marseille who taught me how to make them and I now do most of the work myself by hand. The factory in Marseille puts all the components of the jeans together." The birthplace of denim The term "denim" derives from the French "serge de Nimes", meaning "serge (a sturdy fabric) from Nimes". Yet the fabric is no longer produced anywhere in France. Sagot therefore buys the denim canvas from the Venice region of Italy, made on an old shuttle-loom from the 1950s.