Aurélien Girard

Aurélien Girard, Founder of the TiliT brand

Who are you?

“My name is Aurélien Girard, I’m 41 years old. I’m in a civil partnership, I have 2 children and I’m the manager of Lask Gear, which was set up in 2013 in Chaumont in the Haute-Marne region. The company specialises in distance selling of sporting goods. Before that I worked in the motorbike industry for several years. For example, I was a journalist for Moto Revue, which is the oldest magazine in Europe. Then I left that world in 2016 to launch my own brand called TilliT, which specialises in Made in France multisport socks.

Can you tell us about your brand?

“TilliT is a brand that my brothers and I registered in 2006, but which was really launched in 2016. The idea was to find a palindrome for the name and we came up with ‘TilliT’, which means ‘trust’ in Swedish and Norwegian. It’s a word that fits us well, because today we trust our sports equipment, our socks and our customers. TilliT’s slogan is also ‘Fashion 4 Action’ because we wanted to combine sport with charity work.

Why did you choose to make socks in particular?

“In fact, the basic idea was to make sportswear, but when I spoke to an acquaintance who told me that a sock factory in Romilly-sur-Seine was relaunching, I decided to support it. What’s more, coming from an area where socks are an essential fashion accessory and are used more and more, I thought this was a good opportunity. My name, Aussin, lends itself very well to socks because it can be split in two. In other words, you have the ’til’ on the left foot and the ‘lit’ on the right. The idea was to create a universe around that.

What sets you apart from other brands?

“Our difference is reflected in our slogan “Fashion 4 Action”, because we offer socks for causes that are close to our hearts. For example, this year, for the second time, we offered special socks for Pink October, with part of the profits going to the Breast Cancer League. Another special feature this year was our participation in the Movember movement. We offered socks with moustaches, part of the proceeds of which were donated to the Movember France movement.

Why are causes like Pink October so close to your heart?

“Ever since I relaunched my brand in 2016, I had this idea in mind. It’s close to my heart because several people around me have been affected by breast cancer, including my mother, my mother-in-law, my grandmother and one of my aunts. Personally, I’ve been very affected by all this and I’ve always said to myself that the day I had the chance, I’d do something good for the cause, and today I’m doing that through the TilliT brand. Last year, I met up with the Haute-Marne breast cancer league for the first time to work with them on special “Pink October” socks, and as it was such a success, we’re doing it again this year.

Why did you choose Romilly-Sur-Seine to make your socks?

“I chose to make my socks in Romilly-Sur-Seine because it’s the capital of hosiery, where all the socks were made just a few years ago. So it was important for me to be part of the longevity of a factory that had just relaunched and to preserve their know-how.

What prompted you to set up your shop in Chaumont?

“First and foremost, I chose Romilly-sur-Seine because it’s the town where I grew up and for which I have a special attachment. My family lives here, and what’s more, it’s a short circuit, because the drive between Chaumont and Romilly-sur-Seine is between an hour and an hour and a half, so if there’s the slightest problem, you can take the car and go and deal with it on the spot.