Guy Cotten’s new factory is green as well as blue.
The famous fisherman’s rough weather gear tailor has built a new factory in France which uses 7500sqft (700m²) of solar panels sited on its flat roof providing 2/3 of the energy needs for the production process.
The 4,700m² building at Kerouel near Trégunc in south Brittany will cost the maker of the famous rubberised (PVC) yellow foulies five million euros (£4.5m) and will make all of its products. The building is expected to open in January 2019.
Nadine Berthelom-Cotten, daughter of the founder and current president of the board said the reason for the move is to answer increasing demand: “There has been no room to install any new equipment which has been a real problem for the company. We had a turnover of 13 million euros in 2017 and have a full order book but no means of increasing production to cope with demand.”
Guy Cotten was founded in 1964, and has more than 130 employees. Guy Cotten, the company founder died in 2013.
Fishermen use GC foulies because the fabric is so hardy – and totally waterproof. You can get a hook in it and it won’t tear, and the small hole virtually reseals itself. It is also more resistant to UV and sunlight than some other fabrics so it’s long lasting and tough. More recently Guy Cotten have been producing hardy breathable fabrics as well as the traditional range.
More details: guycotten.com/en/fabrics