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The manufacture Regain, set for 2 generations at the foothill of Pic de Nore

1973

A Knitwear story in Castres

Première usine de fabrication de pulls par la manufacture Regain à Castres.
The story starts at the foothill of Pic de Nore, highest point of the mountain range called The Black Forest, which overlooks Castres in the Tarn region of France. In 1973, François Brunas, a specialist of the knitting machines, creates his first knitting workshop.
At this time, the textile industry is in full boom in France and particularly in Tarn.
In the 80s, the manufacture also starts to do the confection itself.
The workshops then work for the biggest fashion brands such as Yves St Laurent or Pierre Cardin and Givenchy

1987

A turn towards the uniform and personalisation

fabrication de pulls pour la gendarmerie
In 1987, François Brunas took a turn towards professional wear and delivered the first jumper to the National Gendarmerie, taking a business of 20k units per year. Then came the emblematic fire fighters piece, still in use nowadays. The manufacture quickly became renowned for its know-how in this very demanding and qualitative market. It then developed rapidly, producing massively for the police, the fire-fighters or the armies.
The manufacture produced then up to 80k jumpers per year and 35 persons took turns to work in the workshops, 24h a day 6 days per week.

1993

An offer that expand into technical products

pull anti-feu, protection thermique, anti statiques, anti arc électrique, haute visibilité.
Laurent Brunas, the founder’s son, starts to work in the manufacture.
To respond to the customers’ needs, the company extended her range to even more technical products, using their existing skills, they developed models that respond to stringent Europeans norms around fire resistance, thermal protection, high visibility, electrical arc protection…

"The Made in France is valuable, we need to keep the jobs and preserve the skills acquired in our workshop over 40 years." Laurent Brunas C.E.O

2009

A deliberate yet risky choice to resist delocalisation

The economical crisis has set in. The mains players on the market have long since decided to relocate their workshops in foreign countries to stay competitive, but the manufacture Regain resists.
In 2009, Laurent Brunas took over. It’s a deliberate yet risky choice to keep them in France, but Laurent is convinced of the added value of “Made in France”. He cannot take the decision to abandon such a qualified and skilled workforce and loose all the knowledge stacked in his workshops for 45 years.

2010

Manufacture Regain pioneer in its commitments to environment and social welfare

Since 2010, the manufacture is engaged in an active demarche towards sustainability: every step of our processes has been reviewed to answer the concerns of a circular economy: optimal shaping, recycling...
It’s the first textile manufacture to obtain the label “Lucie”, according to the ISO 26000 norm (Nov 2011 to Dec 2017) that recognises environmental and societal commitments.
In 2018, while pro-actively continuing its RSO, the company decided to take it further by engaging in the Global Compact international initiative of the United Nations.
In 2011, it creates and manage a salvage and recycling service of used products from its customers. The items are then sent to their partner, la Filature du Parc to be transformed into recycled knitting yarn.

2013

Diversifying into fashion

Laurent Brunas collaborates with fashion experts who share his values. All are ready to fight beside him to make good this new venture, the only way to save the workshops of Castres.

In the fall of 2013, a web site dedicated to the fashion brand of Regain is created. The manufacture launched its first collection and already got noticed by the press and the blogs. Publications put it next to the great names of high end fashion.

A press office in Paris and London assures him a high visibility internationally. Japan is the first country to order the collection.

In may 2014, the brand “Pic de Nore” is created for the fashion side of the manufacture. Pic de Nore, symbolic landmark in its story.

2014

Manufacture is organised to also propose research department

Pulls fabriqués sous le label origine France Garantie
From now on, the manufacture is organised to also propose to others brands a service of design office and prototyping as well as the realisation of the production.

2016

the Eco-conception at the heart of our DNA

Anxious to limit its impact on the environment, the manufacture has been working for several years on the subject of eco-conception.
It is now manufacturing and marketing sweaters made with recycled yarns using a process patented by its local partner, La Filature du Parc (Brassac).

2018

Defense of French wools

Laurent Brunas believes in common sense fashion and in sustainable pieces.
For this reason, the factory is a founding member of the TRICOLOR collective, which defends local French wools and has the following objectives:
- to create a dialogue between the actors of the sheep breeding, the industry and the distribution;
- to build a common, sustainable, equitable and viable vision;
- to set up a collective program to increase the value and use of French shearing wools.

2021

Our factory has been officially labelled as « Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant »

This prestigious state label distinguishes French companies with excellent craft and industrial know-how.
It recognises our complex and rare know-how such as knitting, remeshing... But also our commitment to maintain and transmit our know-how and our will to innovate in order to perpetuate our company.
Anchored in its territory since 1973, our factory is recognised for its commitment as a responsible manufacturer and for its contribution to the short cycle with wools from France.