What Velcorex Since 1828 does

Velcorex Since 1828 is a French textile manufacturer and finisher ("ennoblisseur") headquartered in Saint-Amarin, Alsace, producing velvet, corduroy, sportswear, cotton, linen, and regenerated-fibre fabrics for the apparel industry. Founded in 1828 as the Société Anonyme d'Industrie Cotonnière (SAIC) in Mulhouse, the company evolved from cotton trading and spinning into weaving and velvet finishing by 1930, launched the Velcorex brand in 1970, and was renamed Velcorex Since 1828 after a 2010 takeover by Pierre Schmitt. In 2023 ownership was transferred to its roughly 90 employees via a Société Coopérative de Production (SCOP).

The company's technology stack spans the full fabric-creation chain — weaving, dyeing, printing, and mechanical finishing — with proprietary techniques that include the patent-protected Streaky velvet process (launched 2002), evolutive and reactive dyeing methods, pigment dyeing for vintage patina effects, peach-skin and millwashed finishing, water-repellent treatments, and an in-house silk-screen printing workshop. It holds OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100, GOTS, BCI, OCS, REACH, and Alsace terre textile certifications, sources BCI/organic/Cotton USA cotton and Tencel/Modal from Lenzing, uses Archroma's Earthcolors biosynthetic dyes, and runs the Tissutex digital fabric catalogue. In 2020 it relaunched France's first flax spinning mill to guarantee 100% French linen.

Commercially, Velcorex operates a pure B2B direct-sales model, with no e-commerce or consumer channel. Sales are handled by named commercial contacts (Christophe Bitton, Frank Weber) to fashion brands and garment manufacturers, requiring a minimum order of 500 linear metres per colour at quote-based pricing, with demand generated at Premiere Vision Paris, Milano Unica, and BLUEZONE by Munich Fabric Start. A 2004 Asia industrial partnership progressively replaced the 1998 Orangeburg, South Carolina plant, realigning capacity toward Asian garment-manufacturing corridors.

Name

Velcorex Since 1828

Legal name

Velcorex

Website

https://velcorex.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1828

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Velcorex Since 1828 is a French employee-owned (SCOP since 2023) textile manufacturer producing velvet, corduroy, sportswear, linen, and regenerated-fibre fabrics on a B2B basis for fashion brands and garment manufacturers, positioned as the European leader in its niche.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Velvet and Corduroy Manufacturing

NAICS

Broadwoven Fabric Mills (313210), Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills (3133)

SIC

Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Man Made Fiber & Silk (2221), Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Cotton (2211), Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Denim & Twill Mills (IMAOABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Denim & Twill Fabrics (CRAAAMAE)

Keywords

• Velvet fabric manufacturing
• Corduroy fabric production
• Sportswear textile fabrics
• Industrial fabric dyeing
• Fabric finishing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-amarin

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. B2B Fabric Sales: Velcorex sells its velvet, corduroy, and sportswear fabrics directly to fashion brands and garment manufacturers on a B2B basis. The company is a fabric creator and finisher (ennoblisseur) for the clothing industry. Sales require a minimum quantity of 500 linear metres per colour.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Velcorex Since 1828 is a French textile manufacturer that creates and finishes (ennoblissement) fabrics for the clothing industry, specializing in velvet, corduroy, and sportswear fabrics. The company produces woven cotton, linen, and regenerated fiber fabrics, and offers proprietary dyeing (reactive, evolutive, pigment) and finishing services (peach skin, millwashed, water-repellent). Products are sold exclusively on a B2B basis to fashion brands and garment manufacturers with a minimum order quantity of 500 linear metres per colour.

Product overview

Velcorex Since 1828 is a French textile company specializing in the creation and finishing of fabrics for the clothing industry. The company offers a unified portfolio centered on velvet, corduroy, and sportswear fabrics, complemented by specialized linen, cotton, and regenerated fiber fabrics. Their product ecosystem includes: Core fabric products (Velvet/Corduroy, Sportswear, Cotton, Linen, Regenerated Fibers); Service offerings (Dyeing and Fabric Finishing); A digital catalog platform called Tissutex; Seasonal color collections (Colour Ranges); And specialized sub-brands like Dual Fit. The company positions itself as the last French velvet and corduroy factory and European leader in these materials, with nearly 200 years of heritage and expertise in weaving, dyeing, and finishing techniques.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Emanuel LangcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Velcorex shares its sustainable production approach with its Alsatian sister company Emanuel Lang in an unprecedented project of rehabilitation of the linen sector in France. Both companies collaborate on re-localising linen production to France, from seed to finished product.
• Philéa TextilescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Velcorex Since 1828 created a partnership with Philéa Textiles, specialist in creative fabrics for women, and launched a new range of fluid velvets in innovative material blends. This partnership expanded the product portfolio into fluid velvet offerings for the women's market.
• Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)coreOthersVelcorex works exclusively with the Better Cotton Initiative for sustainable agriculture that preserves the soil and promotes an ethical code that respects growers. Cotton sourced is either from organic farming, COTTON USA productions, or BCI certified, ensuring ethical, sustainable, traceable production that respects human rights.
• Belgian Textile Waste RecyclerminorOthersVelcorex sends textile waste to a Belgian company that transforms it into insulation material, supporting the circular economy.
• Local Alsatian Treatment PartnersminorOthersLocal treatment specialists recycle all waste output including fibre dust from finishing, cardboard, used plastics, chemical products, and transport pallets (dismantled and shredded into plywood and firewood).
• Tencel / Lenzing AGcoreOthersVelcorex uses ecologically responsible Tencel and Modal fibres from Lenzing AG, whose cellulose pulp is obtained from wood waste recovery from ecologically managed forests in Europe, in full respect of forest diversification and tree maturity.
• WA! StudiominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWA! Studio (studiowa.fr) provides web design services for the Velcorex website and self-hosts the Matomo analytics platform on their shared server in Switzerland, configured according to CNIL recommendations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Drago: Italian wool and specialty fabric mill producing premium woven fabrics for menswear and womenswear brands. Comparable to Velcorex as a European specialty fabric mill with vertical integration from yarn to finished fabric and B2B sales to fashion brands.
• Emanuel Lang: Alsatian linen mill and sister company to Velcorex, sharing sustainable production approach. Both companies collaborate on re-localising linen production in France from seed to finished product, making Emanuel Lang a directly comparable French heritage fabric manufacturer in the same geography.
• Dormeuil: Historic French/UK luxury fabric mill established in 1842, supplying premium woven fabrics to luxury fashion houses. Directly comparable as a heritage European B2B fabric mill with proprietary finishes and a strong brand narrative in the premium apparel supply chain.
• Tessitura Luigi Piacenza: Italian heritage textile mill founded in 1833, producing premium woven fabrics for high-end fashion brands. Comparable as a multi-century-old European fabric manufacturer focused on premium B2B supply with proprietary finishing and dyeing capabilities.
• Holland & Sherry: British heritage fabric mill (founded 1836) supplying luxury worsted and other woven fabrics to tailors and fashion brands globally. Comparable to Velcorex as a multi-century-old European fabric specialist serving premium B2B customers.
• Dickson Constant: French technical textile manufacturer (Warpknit/Sunbrella outdoor fabrics) based in northern France with proprietary weaving, dyeing, and finishing capabilities. Comparable to Velcorex as a vertically integrated French fabric mill with international B2B distribution.
• Thomas Mason: British/Italian heritage shirting fabric mill (founded 1796) supplying premium woven fabrics to luxury shirt makers and fashion brands. Comparable as a multi-century-old European fabric specialist serving premium B2B customers with proprietary finishes.

Broad incumbents

• Chargeurs: French-listed group operating Chargeurs Luxury Materials (wool, hair, finishing) and other textile businesses. Comparable as a larger French textile incumbent serving premium fashion brands with similar woven fabric finishing capabilities, though operating at greater scale and across multiple textile segments.
• Loro Piana: Italian heritage luxury fabric mill (now owned by LVMH) producing premium wool, cashmere, and other high-end woven fabrics. Comparable as a heritage European fabric brand serving the same premium/luxury fashion customer base, though operating at much larger scale.

Others

• Lenzing AG: Austrian producer of Tencel, Modal, and other regenerated cellulosic fibres used as raw material inputs by Velcorex. Comparable as a partner/supplier in Velcorex's regenerated-fibre value chain rather than a direct competitor, but operates in the same European sustainable textile ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• Pinterestpinterest.fr/velcorex
• Xx.com/velcorex1828

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Velcorex Since 1828