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Our history
At the end of the Second Empire when some people dreamt of the Republic an author of comedies had created a funny character which had existed for some many years in one of his plays who always walked with his umbrella and this character was called RIFLARD ! What a strange name given to this character by Louis-Benoît Picard ! The fact remains that this funny name would be given to our kind children, that is to say our umbrellas, a large family of multiple shapes, sizes and colours. So many years later our Riflards run on the streets as the Frères Jacques sang : “When it rains on St Medard’s day… you have to take your Riflard during fourty days.” What a good lyric writer that Michel Vaucaire who wrote that lyrics like a prophet !
From 1870 to 1916 Sir François and Pauline
Pauline Armentine Chaigne claimed the day of her wedding that she was an “umbrella saleswoman”. That first wedding had occurred on January 14th 1873 with Sir François I born of an unknown father. That makes us think that our family is linked to umbrellas since 1870.
At that time an umbrella was a luxury merchandise
and it was entirely handmade with a cotton fabric or with silk and satinet silesian but unfortunately it was often black, navy blue or brown only except for the silk ones which were ecru or with some flowers. But why ? How can we explain that ?
People at that time were discreet and had a lot of clothes even during summer, umbrellas were also used against sun and wind and it was often a weapon because in the shaft there was a dagger hidden or a thin and chiselled sword which proved to be lethal for people who dared to taste it “it was dangerous to provoke the old ladies in town”. Men were also walking with umbrellas equipped with a blade and when the weather was good the cane - until the 1930s - replaced umbrellas and was also sometimes armed and in some cases with a barrel of a gun.There were plenty of work opportunities at that time umbrellas were sometimes works of art and they required of a lot of knowledge, imagine ribs made in whalebones (in French we use the word whale to name the ribs because the ribs were made in whalebones). The handles were made with ebony and mahogany wood or with other precious wood. Imagine such a wood or such a handle with gold or silver encrusted or sculptures in ivory on an ebony wood !
At that time when the shoemakers, miliners, tinsmiths and other industries which decorated the town with their shops, everything could be repaired as an umbrella of a good workmanship as it is still nowadays ! A workshop has necessarily a repair’s shop and covering shop when the fabric was worn or holed.
Nevertheless Pauline and her husband had found the time to have beautiful babies ( maybe under a riflard) who knows ?
From 1916 to 1940 Fernand and Angelina François
Here comes a joyful umbrella’s artist Pierre Louis François called Fernand by his friends. He was born in 1874 after an apprenticeship at a very famous umbrella maker of Poitiers called Vallet Déchérat. He set up with his wife Angelina in our good old Grand Rue at number 137. Our grandpa would hold the factory from January 1916 (which was a weird year) until March 1947.
At that time techniques were developping in and we were living in a world which discovered the consumer goods. A lot of people travelled and they needed useful, strong and cheap products !
How can this challenge be met?
Since a long time the whalebones have been replaced by metal ribs made by PEUGEOT (fortunately for the animals), fabrics changed we used rayon and soon nylon or silk. Unfortunately the umbrella manufacturers were becoming increasingly rare nevertheless they had created a little umbrella of a 48 cm radius with 12 ribs which gave a very flat shape with a short handle made with bakelite and which was breakable but which was necessary for travels. We put it in a suitcase or we tied it to it or to a bag. The fabric made with rayon gave the look of a Chinese sunshade or a parasol.
However at that time like the beginning of our history and like nowadays an unavoidable production was born : the Shepherd umbrella made with cotton and with ratan ribs, it was big and light and it was used by the sheperdesses and shepherds before and by the all family during their whole life. Nowadays we make them with the tools of our ancestors. So why do we change something which works ?
But during these golden years as the historians said the speed would drive the umbrella to a new invention, which one ?
May 30th 1931 Mister Maurice Rommens registered an umbrella to a patent in Paris which would revolutionize the trade. Under the name of folding umbrella he invented a collapsible umbrella which measured - when it was closed - 32cm. Once opened it measured 48 of radius with 8 or 10 ribs. That was the ideal umbrella for our intrepid travellers of the 1930s which was easy to put in a suitcase, in our beautiful cars and in the glove compartment.
This umbrella - now made in other materials - was certainly the most produced and the most copied in all kinds of qualities from the best to the worst throughout the world.
At the beginning of its invention until the 1960s it was equipped by a brass frame which gave a high resistance to wind and rain and which allowed to use it a very long time for example we had some which have from 50 to 60 years of good and loyal service.
But during those long years, the François have noticed that trends have changed and we needed to produce faster and we needed more choices. A new challenge !
From 1947 to 1978 Emile and Léa François
After World War II raincoats were trendy which made the use of our good old Riflards obsolete ! And the beautiful ladies of that glorious time discovered the haidressing salons and then imagine when they came out from them with a good old rain whereas they had just smartened them up ! Any solution ? Hurry up, where’s my umbrella ?
So the fabrics and frame makers would find ingenious ways of competing, nylon would bring very beautiful colours, metal rods would replace the big masts and the handles would slim with golden metal and false precious gems. Soon the fabrics would be lined that would give a frill effect which had a kind of charm that had pleased at that time.
Our father and our mother would rejuvenate the company. Little by little they would mecanize the making and put more finished goods up for sale in shop. Imagine from the 30’s to the 50’s umbrellas which were custom made products depending on the heights and the tastes of people.
German industrials would set up systems of frames for folding umbrellas that we could put in handbags. The umbrella was itself in a leather imitation case. So it was very beautiful but when it rained we needed to open it. And what happened when it was wet ?So, our good old riflards were still here and were more and more wanted. They were big, strong, waterproof at any weather conditions and made with cotton or nylon which were easily repairables. Ha ha ! The François make reliable products even if they made them with fantasy but we like the technique as well as our customers.
So, sum up the challenges
During the Roaring Twenties people wanted umbrellas
to travel light and quick so we adaptedAlas here came the war but it dind’t prevent the rain from falling so we adapted.
Post-war, rubber raincoats,
beautiful hairstyles: we adaptAs techniques evolve, we seek and adapt.
1978-2008 Pierre and Louis François
The beginning of a new adventure
“The Riflard and the technology”Pierre and Louis took over the company – a turning point with the renunciation of old ideas but that would make waste a lot of time now.
Other productions appeared such as folding umbrellas with stainless ribs
and which were more resistant than aluminium.On all our straight umbrellas which were our good old riflards - a shaft always made with wood but with handles made with maple wood, bamboo, leather or with chestnut wood. Sometimes the shafts were made of one single piece
and they could be made with olive wood, hazelnut or chestnut wood
The carbon fiber ribs make it lighter and, above all, stronger. The fabrics far from the beautiful fibres used by our grandparents were developed by the textile industry who made fabrics which were extraordinary thanks to their quality
heir beauty but also their lengths. They were in cotton, polyamide or in taffeta.Fabrics would be plain, printed or woven
with different types of weaving like the Serge weaving or the Jacquard weaving.We still make shepherds umbrellas with the Fox assembly type which made an extraordinary walking stick umbrella.
which makes an extraordinary walking umbrella.From 2008 to nowadays Pierre, Louis and Lilyan
Our umbrella factory has been able to pass down from generation to generation, to enrich its traditional craftsmanship and its values. It is out of the question to stay there the 21st century must also have its producer of Riflards. Young people invest in interesting technologies, the opening world internet market touches wide and various customers and it also rains in Europe.
The François have still the eyes open,
first on the weather and how it evolves.
Ok Right for the weather the nose up but not in the clouds. Computers are also made for the François
we will learn how to use them. One question : Why does it work ? We don’t know but how does it work ? So, we will learn but we will especially understand and study and yes we are never too old to learn and we know
we know the weather. Weather vanes give the direction of the wind, look at a weather vane when it rusts it becomes fixed and is no longer useful!So with our old machines that we maintain, were we so completely oxidized by these new technologies ? Surely not ! But for that the lubricant must be up to it !
Lilyan has been in the business since 2008 and he brings and adapts our old riflards to new technologies that means searching of new suppliers of high-quality raw material and the opening of our website which targets new customers and even some celebrities that rain also reaches.
François umbrella Factory, Pierre, Lilyan and Louis What will the future be? Too early to say !
But the recent opening of our website gives us good hope.It is true that the sacrosanct car is declining that that our brave customers get back into walking and they find rain again and when we are thinking about rain, we are thinking of Riflards. So we are and we will be here to their service as long as we can in our good old Grand rue at number 137.
It's true our job is a passion maybe an art and we are searching and we are improving.
To conclude here is a beautiful quotation to meditate by Auguste Rodin :“An art that lives doesn’t repeat the past,
Auguste Rodin
it makes it goes on.”Here he is someone who didn’t think of umbrellas except when he went out !