Lace, lingerie and strings: the incredible adventures of the Lejaby workers | M6 | Zone Interdite

The little hands” of Lejaby, the incarnation of “made in France”, hit the headlines for weeks on end during the last Presidential campaign. The brand has become one of the symbols of the sinking of industry in France. In its years of plenty, the seamstresses occupy the factory. It’s a social soap opera that has all of France holding its breath for several weeks. Relentlessly, the little hands of Lejaby will fight to save their jobs and their factory. We experienced the combat alongside them, on the inside. For several months we were immersed in 3 sites of the former lingerie brand. We followed the workers, the bosses and the trade-unionists. On one of the sites, at Rillieux-la-Pape, Alain Prost, the buyer, has kept 193 workers and sets himself an almost impossible challenge: bring out a new, top range collection in record time. To win over the buyers from the major retailers, he has to present his creations at the international lingerie show in just 6 months time. “This show is vital for us. We’re trying to take our first steps in the luxury market and it’s complicated!” Nicole Mendez was 22 when she joined Lejaby. For this trade-unionist, Alain Prost’s project is industrial suicide. “We can’t just produce a new collection tomorrow, it’s not possible! We need 18 months development for a new collection!” At Yssingeaux, 93 women were laid off: angry women who vote to occupy their factory till something’s done. Jacqueline, a worker for 36 years expresses her despair: “This morning I just didn’t want to get up, but I told myself I’ll be on time to clock in and I was there on time to clock in! They made money out of us: it’s money, money all the time and then the worker is shitLejaby ran eight factories in Rhône-Alpes and in Auvergne. Founded in 1930, Lejaby rapidly becomes a mythical brand for lingerie. It is bought by the Bugnon brothers in 1961 and becomes an international enterprise exporting all over Europe and the United States. In the 80s, Lejaby is a world leader in lingerie and employs 1,200 workers. However, on the death of CEO Maurice Bugnon in 1996, Lejaby is bought by an American pension fund. Seven years later it relocates 80% of production and closes four factories, without a thought for the little hands who created the world renown of made in France. The brand loses its identity and this is the beginning of the end. The epilogue takes place on January 18 2012 in Lyon. That is the day Lejaby is put into liquidation by the Commercial Court. A buyer is appointed: Alain Prost and his partners buy the brand for 4 million Euros. Right away, the new boss announces radical decisions. In order to save the rest of the business, Alain Prost has to close one site, that at Yssingeaux, and lay off 93 workers. In an extremely tense climate, in the middle of the Presidential campaign, this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back: Lejaby becomes the symbol of the social devastation caused by relocation. The media picks up the story you sweep it away and there you go!”