Benoit Seguin

Benoit Seguin, Founder of the La Chaussette de France brand

Who are you?

“My name is Benoit Seguin, I’m 40 years old. I’m married with three children and I’ve been running Tismail since 2010. Before that, with the help of two partners, I set up a company based in Troyes that specialised in innovative clothing for dependent elderly people, which we sold 10 years ago. I’m happy to be working in Troyes today because it’s the town where I was born and I appreciate the quality of life here.”

Can you tell us about your brand?

“The “La Chaussette de France” brand belongs to Tismail, a company set up just over 5 years ago. Tismail manufactures the socks and La Chaussette de France markets them. Initially, the brand specialised in ski socks, then 2 years later expanded into running, trail and hiking socks, and now offers other sports such as fishing and hunting. The brand combines three things that are close to our hearts. The first is knitting technology, which enables us to make very precise, very fine socks. The second important point is the use of very noble materials in large quantities, such as cashmere, alpaca, wool and silk, as well as technological materials such as bioceramics, which ensure thermoregulation. The final important point is to combine all this with humorous, offbeat and playful communication.”

What can you tell us about your job as an entrepreneur?

“First of all, I can say that my job is a fascinating one. For me, it’s the best job in the world. Each one is different, because today I’m involved in marketing, communication, accounting, management and business development. I think that’s what makes this job so rewarding. What’s more, I find myself working in textiles, a sector that has been in the doldrums for the last fifteen years or so, and my team and I are proud to still be making socks in France, in Troyes in the Aube, which was the bastion of hosiery just a few years ago. It’s not easy every day, but we’re proving that it’s still possible to make textiles in France with ideas, innovation and, above all, a team of warriors.”

What stages in the textile production chain do you master?

“We control everything from A to Z. Our strength today is that we have 100% control over our production facilities. Everything is integrated, from the design office and sampling to manufacturing and finishing. This allows us to adapt our production to our business, so we’re not dependent on anyone. Our factory runs 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, which gives us great flexibility and responsiveness. So customers are happy, because they get a quality product that’s made in France, and all in a very short space of time.”

What do you think are Troyes’ strengths in the textile sector?

“First of all, I think Troyes has a great location. I can travel quickly to Paris, Lyon and Lille. Troyes also has a long history in textiles, which is firmly rooted in the region, and our aim is to perpetuate this tradition, which is now also supported by some of the world’s leading groups. Troyes has all the advantages of a small town, but none of the disadvantages of a big city. There are no traffic jams, no exorbitant prices per square metre and everything is close at hand. Finally, everything moves faster in Troyes than in the big cities.”

What are your plans for the future?

“We have a huge project with La Chaussette de France because we have validated our products and our communication with our community and our customers. We have our place in skiing, running and trail running, and our customers appreciate the high quality of our products. So for the future, we have lots of international projects. We want to go to China next year to equip the Chinese with our brand and reverse the trend towards ‘Made in China’. We’d also like to open boutiques for La Chaussette de France, the first of which would be in Paris by the end of 2020, followed by another in London and New York. Of course, we’re still aiming to strengthen our sales force in France.”