Industry Textile Products Workwear Founder Edouard Beerens | Headquarters Le Lude, France Website vetra.fr Founded 1927 | |
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Vétra is a French company founded in 1927 in Paris, manufacturing authentic workwear, and casual wear designed in a workwear fashion.
History
The Vétra company was born in Paris in 1927 (1), on Saint-Louis Island, at 3 rue de Bretonvilliers (IVème)(2). His founder, Edouard Beerens, was handed over from his mother, as her wedding present, her workshop of professional aprons & overalls, which will constitute the springboard of Vétra venture. Vétra used to get specialized in its early years in men's workwear. E. Beerens chose as his first motto : " Vétra ever lasts " and design the logotype : red letters upon a black factory, in order to entice workers, who, at these times, were compelled to buy themselves their own workwear garments (3). In the 30's, the company moved to Northern France. In 1939, Vétra was requisitionned to manufacture uniforms for the French Army.
On Sunday, 19 May 1940, the nazis' invasion had E. Beerens scuttle his factory so as not to leave French uniforms to German Fifth Columns. Despite he was wanted by the Gestapo, he managed to reset up his business from scratch at Le Lude (Sarthe).
In the 1950s, Vétra was among the first French textile manufacturers to use the kanban system invented by Toyota. Whithin the next decade the logotype became gradually hydrone then bugatti blue. The motto became : " Vétra the workwear that always fits " and then " Vétra the tailor for professionals ". The production is mainly made up of 100% cotton heavy duty two-ply warp dungaree twills, even if productions of Beerens Pants Jean's can not be ignored.
Vétra garments were exported to countless countries in the 1990s, from USA to Japan in addition to Europe and Maghreb.
Vétra is still run by Beerens family, proving to be one of the few French family-run textile companies (4) and one of the few French textile companies manufacturing in France (5).