Interview with Régis Gautreau on RFI on the subject of the planned obsolescence of tights
We invite you to discover the interview of Régis Gautreau, founder and designer of Berthe Aux Grands Pieds by Emmanuelle Bastide. Broadcast on RFI Thursday February 9 at 11:40 a.m.
- Do you think that there is a deliberate approach on the part of your competitors, the big brands, to make tights by definition threadable, disposable after three uses?
You mean 5 euros 5 seconds? These are formulas that I use regularly. Most certainly, in any case what is clear about Berthe Aux Grands Pieds is that my philosophy is very simple: cheap costs a lot! Since the origin of this brand, I first wanted to register it in a beautiful 100% French quality by choice, because there is a notion of know-how and quality. Today, the price of a kilo of thread for basic tights is 4 euros per kilo.
At Berthe Aux Grands Pieds, it ranges from 18 to 120 euros per kilo. It's a choice. Our tights are not sold for 8 euros but for 15 euros and 30 euros per pair.
- So your tights cost three times more than a famous brand that shows girls with sublime legs. Besides, you just told us that you don't buy the thread 3 times more expensive but 4 to 5 more expensive! But do your tights costing three times more last 3 times longer?
Very clearly, we do everything to make it last a long time. We are talking about double wrapping, we are talking about multi-strand 3D micro yarn. To spare the technical details, we do everything to make it last a long time, much longer. We have representatives, 22 in France, we have 1,500 resellers, small traders in France and even in the world, and to each one we tell them the following: explain clearly to the consumer that tights remain tights. You have to know how to put them on, take them off, put them in a small net for maintenance, etc. This is called education and it is all Berthe Aux Grand Pieds. We try to do the best we can in France, we try to explain how to wash them, how to put them on. You have to know how to enjoy a product without getting tired of it.
- Are you profitable?
Absolutely. I use four factories in France. Today Berthe Aux Grands Pieds maintains nearly 200 people in production, soon a 5th factory will collaborate with me in department 44.
- You export your socks and tights to countries that are most receptive to this message because you deliberately communicate about quality products that last longer.
Who is receptive to this message?
Everyone.
- You say China, Japan?
Absolutely, know that a Chinese person dreams of France, breathes France, wants a piece of France.
- He buys your socks because they are made in France but not because they last longer?
He will buy our socks, indeed, because they are 100% made in France and also a Living Heritage company. That gives it a label. But an American will have the same view, a Japanese too.
- Will this trend that you are advocating become more pronounced or is it doomed to remain completely marginal? Can you, Berthe Aux Grands Pieds, a small SME, compete with large groups on this notion of "I don't buy tights to wear them only three times"?
My obligations are the opposite of all these big groups: I have no pressure. What we want today with the Perrin company ( La Manufacture Perrin in Montceau-Les-Mines ) which manufactures all the silk and cashmere tights, another fabulous company, our objective is to supply 0.01% of the world population so we have no pressure. I start from the principle that niches are the future of tomorrow!
To think about...!"
Want to listen to the whole show? Click!
- Do you think that there is a deliberate approach on the part of your competitors, the big brands, to make tights by definition threadable, disposable after three uses?
You mean 5 euros 5 seconds? These are formulas that I use regularly. Most certainly, in any case what is clear about Berthe Aux Grands Pieds is that my philosophy is very simple: cheap costs a lot! Since the origin of this brand, I first wanted to register it in a beautiful 100% French quality by choice, because there is a notion of know-how and quality. Today, the price of a kilo of thread for basic tights is 4 euros per kilo.
At Berthe Aux Grands Pieds, it ranges from 18 to 120 euros per kilo. It's a choice. Our tights are not sold for 8 euros but for 15 euros and 30 euros per pair.
- So your tights cost three times more than a famous brand that shows girls with sublime legs. Besides, you just told us that you don't buy the thread 3 times more expensive but 4 to 5 more expensive! But do your tights costing three times more last 3 times longer?
Very clearly, we do everything to make it last a long time. We are talking about double wrapping, we are talking about multi-strand 3D micro yarn. To spare the technical details, we do everything to make it last a long time, much longer. We have representatives, 22 in France, we have 1,500 resellers, small traders in France and even in the world, and to each one we tell them the following: explain clearly to the consumer that tights remain tights. You have to know how to put them on, take them off, put them in a small net for maintenance, etc. This is called education and it is all Berthe Aux Grand Pieds. We try to do the best we can in France, we try to explain how to wash them, how to put them on. You have to know how to enjoy a product without getting tired of it.
- Are you profitable?
Absolutely. I use four factories in France. Today Berthe Aux Grands Pieds maintains nearly 200 people in production, soon a 5th factory will collaborate with me in department 44.
- You export your socks and tights to countries that are most receptive to this message because you deliberately communicate about quality products that last longer.
Who is receptive to this message?
Everyone.
- You say China, Japan?
Absolutely, know that a Chinese person dreams of France, breathes France, wants a piece of France.
- He buys your socks because they are made in France but not because they last longer?
He will buy our socks, indeed, because they are 100% made in France and also a Living Heritage company. That gives it a label. But an American will have the same view, a Japanese too.
- Will this trend that you are advocating become more pronounced or is it doomed to remain completely marginal? Can you, Berthe Aux Grands Pieds, a small SME, compete with large groups on this notion of "I don't buy tights to wear them only three times"?
My obligations are the opposite of all these big groups: I have no pressure. What we want today with the Perrin company ( La Manufacture Perrin in Montceau-Les-Mines ) which manufactures all the silk and cashmere tights, another fabulous company, our objective is to supply 0.01% of the world population so we have no pressure. I start from the principle that niches are the future of tomorrow!
To think about...!"
Want to listen to the whole show? Click!
