Where Lingerie Meets Lace: A conversation with Olivier Noyon

Noyon Dentelle is a world-renowned lace maker known for its exceptional craftsmanship, creativity, and rich textile legacy. Founded in 1919 by Lucien Noyon and anchored in generations of lace makers and mechanics, the company has grown to become the world’s leading producer of Dentelle de Calais®, a prestigious lace woven on traditional Leavers looms known for its richness, complexity, and luxury.

Under the guidance of Olivier Noyon, President since 1998, the company combines traditional savoir-faire with cutting-edge technology, integrating elastane into industrial lace manufacturing and developing hundreds of new designs annually from its creative studio.

Let’s take some time to read Olivier Noyon’s interview.

In this following inetrview, he shared his opinions on recent developments in lingerie and its close relationship to lace.

– Can you describe Noyon in a few words?

– The company was founded by my grandfather in 1919. Today we are the world leader in Leavers machine-lace and crochet (Jacquardtronic and Textronic). We have plants in the major textile countries and large sales division in Asia. We’ve had sales a division in Japan for 25 years now, and we also have them in Honk Hong and the Chinese Republic as well as in the United States, Italy, England and Poland. In addition, we have sales representatives in about fifty countries. We have a plant in China which mainly produces embroidery. At present we are developing a crochet plant in Sri Lanka. We have never considered developing our Leavers specialisation abroad, however. We employ 600 people in France. The Calais plant consists of 83 qualified Leavers staff and 54 qualified Jacquardtronic and Textronic staff. We employ about forty people in the design studio. Design must be a major asset for French lace manufacturers today as we know it is impossible to compete with the price of Chinese, Turkish, or even Italian manufacturers. So our main selling point and the one that attracts clients is our design. Our prices are higher but it is firstly because of our added design value, and if our competitors are cheaper it is mainly due to the fact that they do not design, they just produce copies.

Corset created by Axfords.

– Could you describe how your clientele has evolved over the last twenty years, since sophisticated lingerie became popular once again in the 1980s?

– Almost 98% of Noyon’s work is with the women’s lingerie sector, and 2% is with ready-to-wear. In 1980 we already had the same lingerie clients we have today, but Italian and French brands were much more important. We worked less with the U.S.A. But we did already work with Triumph, Chantelle, Barbara, Simone Pérèle, Lou, Boléro and all the well-known upscale brands.

At that time we said that we worked in lingerie-corsetry and that implied a very particular knowhow. Most of our clients were originally in girdles and corsets and later developed lighter lingerie. At first, in the 1980s, this lingerie was not at all aesthetic. A lot of labels like Chantelle, Lise Charmel and Aubade had largely created flattering designs for women. But in no way did we have the same concepts as we have today. If a woman was elegant and wore sophisticated underwear, it was actually to please others, whereas we are experiencing a more narcissistic phenomenon today. Women buy beautiful, fashionable lingerie for their own enjoyment. Also, in the 1980s there was not much colour: we worked in black, white, flesh colours and a little navy blue; it was really very limited. Colour represented perhaps 10% to 15% of production. Over the last twenty-five years we have experienced considerable developments in terms of line. Before, lingerie was designed by corsetry manufacturers. Those companies still exist, but today we are seeing new lines from upscale stores: Victoria’s Secret, Marks and Spencer and all the ready-to-wear chain stores such as Zara, H & M, and Etam, as well as designers such as Dior, Givenchy, Gaultier and Galliano. The first group existed in the 1980s, but the trend is much more highly developed today.

– Do you work with these new clients? Are they aiming at the top-of-the-line?

– I would say that, of course, we work with everyone. We have seen a concentration of big brands such as Vanity Fair and Sara Lee, each of which has several labels. We have also witnessed expansion with everybody moving into the lingerie sector which seems a profitable niche in terms of both fashion and margins. This has inspired our design because we now create “trendy” lingerie which has a shorter shelf-life. And of course we had to change our working methods as order sizes today are much smaller than they were twenty-five years ago, when the client wanted you to put three techniques into manufacture during the whole year for just one design.

Today it is no longer like that. The client makes an order which has to be delivered within a very short period of time, and sometimes seven or eight machines have to operate on the same design. More machines are needed to deal with orders that, overall, are smaller.

The market has become more difficult. The customer is much more demanding as she has access to a fantastic selection: lingerie is available at all distribution outlets, from the supermarket to luxury boutiques. Today, bra prices can vary between 10 euros and 100 euros, and there is a great choice of colour, shape and style. The customer has gained a lot.

Chantal Thomass, Hautes Boucles, Autumn Winter 2004, lace — Chantal Thomass, Hautes Boucles, Autumn Winter 2004.

– What role do the annual lingerie trade fairs in Paris and Lyon play?

– Trade fairs have become very important in terms of bringing professionals together, and they are essential events in the life-cycle of lingerie and raw materials collections. They are no longer as important for making orders, however. Nothing is ever ordered at trade fairs. They have become meeting points like any other, that is to say, like the client visits we make. Trade fairs like Paris and Lyon mean you can meet between 150 and 200 clients in three or four days, an impossible feat otherwise.

Not all the clients work at the same pace. At next September’s Lyon fair, we are introducing our winter 2005-2006 collection, while some clients have already started research on summer 2006 and others are still finishing summer 2005.

– Has this increase in pace created any difficulties for you in terms of response time?

– No, we are used to planning two years in advance. In addition, our clients require information on trends as quickly as possible. On the other hand, they take their decisions as late as possible so that they are up-to-date on market demands.

In 2002 Noyon carried out a survey on women and lace lingerie. Today, young girls in the 15 to 24 age groups are spending the most on lingerie. We asked them: are they attracted by sophisticated, elegant underwear? Do they like lace lingerie?

In fact, they were quite receptive to our questions. We were fairly surprised because they said “Lace? Why not!” But what did become very clear about this age group was the importance of the concept of coordinating underwear and outerwear. They buy lingerie because they have a top which requires something special, or they buy the top according to the lingerie they have. This means that they buy more lingerie than older age groups. They are a little reticent concerning lace; however, as they think of it as something their mothers would wear. But if we design different, trendier lace, why not? The idea has not been rejected. Lace is seen as a passage into womanhood. But once they have tried it, women tend to wear it for life.

Manufacturers are looking for ways to give added value to their lingerie by using technology. This started with research on very soft, elastic fabrics which used elastane and micro-fibre to create secondskin lingerie which could also shape and firm the body in a flexible way. This research was followed by “intelligent” textiles which massage, protect against UV rays, have anti-bacterial qualities or diffuse perfume or moisturiser. What does this imply for you in terms of research costs and innovation? How far can technological progress go? Would the customer be willing to pay a higher price for these products?

The first manufacturer in Calais to try elastane was Tiburce Lebas, but at that time the trials were useless as they probably arrived on the market too early. We launched elastane in 1983, a time when the market needed something new. In Calais, 100% of the lace sold used to be stiff lace, now 90% of the lace is elastic! This is a good example of technology coinciding with the market.

Today, intelligent textiles and micro-encapsulations could be very successful, but these phenomena have not really come onto the market fully yet. They are much more than a marketing effect. Customers are very curious and will go and take a look, but there has not been a great influx yet. We are not snowed under with demand for micro-encapsulation either. I recognise that lace is not a good example as it has holes. It is true that the dyeing process is quite restrictive as temperatures rise as high as 190° and the material is crushed and then finished. It is hard for capsules to withstand all of this. But I have heard my colleagues in knitwear and weaving say that they have a lot of demand for intelligent fabrics. The market is interested, but people do not yet say things along the line of “I’ll put on my moisturising bra or I’ll put on my top that absorbs ultraviolet light.”

A few years ago we used to speak a lot about micro fibre. It seems to me to be ideal for lingerie as it is so soft to the touch and can be worn next to the skin.

“Volupté” ensemble. Under wire bra and panties, lace — “Volupté” ensemble. Under wire bra and panties. Chantelle creation, Autumn / Winter 2003.

– What is the progress on lace made with micro-fibre?

– There has been a fashion trend for micro-fibre in knitwear and so people are now asking for the same thing in lace. We have made products with micro-fibre on the top, on the outside and on the inside, which seems to me the most intelligent way, as it is in direct contact with the skin. However, the client did not ask for this again which implies that it did not seem beneficial to the consumer. This is the situation as we speak. But innovation is sometimes ahead of us and we may have more requests in five or even ten years.

We have worked a lot on micro-encapsulation, not in response to clients request but because the process interested me. We were working with a cosmetic laboratory but we came across technical problems because the capsules did not hold. We wanted to promote cosmetic, comfortable and moisturising aspects. But this type of product comes between well-being and the medical field, and it is not easy to obtain a medical guarantee. At one time we were developing a carbon fibre which would have had anti-static qualities. Static electricity is supposed to cause stress, so to reduce it means going to the source. We called the fibre “anti-stress”, but we never found a laboratory which could prove scientifically that wearing clothes made out of this fibre would really reduce stress.

– What about soy fibres?

– We are working with soy fibres and a lot of other natural fibres like corn and also white beech. We have always concentrated a lot of our research on fibres. In our team there is one person whose work consists of looking for new fibres and new effects so that we can then try to industrialise them.

– How much time is needed between the research and application stages?

– It is quite fast, around six months.

– What is the situation for lace manufacturers whose work force is semi and fully skilled and essential to production?

– French lingerie manufacturers are outsourcing and producing more and more abroad to reduce labour costs. All our clients have relocating more than 80 % of their workshops. The last one in France is Lejaby, and they are in the process of relocating: only 20 % of production will stay in France; the rest is being transferred to the North Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia.

– Have they asked you to move to be nearer to them?

– Of course! We have been interested in China and Sri Lanka because of pressure from our clients. For me, the issue has never been to relocate or not, but is much more linked to the fact that all my clients have relocated. In the U.S.A. there is only one manufacturer left, everything is sub-contracted. In Europe there are fewer and fewer manufacturers. In both cases, only the place of relocation varies: it is mainly North Africa, Turkey and Eastern Europe for Europeans, and Mexico, South America and especially China for the U.S.A.

As you see, all our clients have relocated and would prefer their suppliers to be right next to their plants. Personally, I am sceptical: I like our clients but it is not the same thing to move factories with sewing machines as to move factories with looms that each weighs 20 tons.

“Tamarine” ensemble, under wire bra and french knickers, lace — “Tamarine” ensemble, under wire bra and french knickers. Chantelle creation, Autumn/Winter 2003.

– And what about the slogan “Made in France” as a guarantee of quality?

– I am not certain that many customers look at where things are made. And today, if a customer sees something she likes, at a reasonable price, the “Made in China” label will not stop her.

– What part of the market share does Leavers have?

– Leavers is a very particular textile product in that it originally is a purely European invention, that was English to start with and which has the best reputation in France, especially in Calais. Therefore, no one can design and produce Leavers as we do in Calais. If a client wants Leavers, they have to buy French and have the product stamped Dentelle de Calais (Calais Lace).

– Which brings me to the question, can you tell me about the “Dentelle de Calais” stamp, a concept which brings to mind high quality. What is the origin of the term

– “Dentelle de Calais” has to be produced on “Leavers” looms in Calais or Caudry and must follow manufacturing processes linked to the production of Leavers lace. So even the Leavers lace made in Nottingham cannot be called “Dentelle de Calais”. It is the same for the few other Leavers looms scattered around the world. It is a guarantee that justifies the large economic outlay for communication that affects all those people who appreciate beautiful garments that are well made and lovely to wear.

The interview above is the excerpt of the book The Story of Lingerie (ISBN: 9781783107452), written by Muriel Barbier and Shazia Boucher, published by Parkstone International.