A trip to Normandy, France 2025

The two of us, a left-side rental car and the winding roads of France in the middle of winter – what could go wrong? In January this year, we traded the summer climes of NZ for the icy winds of Europe on a mission to see the roots of our linen, the final piece in our supply chain we had yet to visit in-person. As we picked up our car during a nervy rush hour in Paris, Prue decided to label her hands R + L as she is profoundly directionally challenged;  but, we got there in the end; the car and ourselves completely unharmed. 

 

Our European trip started before this, in Frankfurt. We had booked in to attend the esteemed Heimtextil textile trade show, one of the industry’s most important and largest global events. We joined visitors of the 3,000 exhibitors from nearly 150 countries and absorbed it all: the trends, the inspiration, the beauty as well as the garish, and we got a good “feel” for trends and challenges in the global textiles marketplace.  

While at the Expo, we met up with our partners from China (our makers, led by owner Wenson) who are the experts that purchase the flax, weave and dye our fabrics, and sew our linen into the finished products you know and love. Any opportunity to see our team is always a happy affair and it was awesome to meet them on the other side of the world, rather than in their factories in Southern China! 

One of our main objectives of the trip was to see where our Flax Linen originates in Northern France. Our makers put us in touch with Tom and Margeaux of the Depestele Group, flax growers extraordinaire in Normandy for five generations, and when they invited us to visit the fields and factories where our linen fibres are grown and processed, it was an immediate “yes” from us!

After our visit to the Frankfurt Expo, we hopped on a bullet train to Paris and arriving late at night, were refused a taxi ride because our hotel was only 1km away from Le Gare (fair enough!?)...we don’t know enough French to argue so we lugged our suitcases (we’re not famous for packing light) over cobbled streets in the brisk night, heaved them up four flights of stairs to a tiny but beautiful room in a Montemarte hotel, and gave Kate a pep talk for her first right-hand lane driving experience.

After a quick sojourn to the spectacular Sacre Coeur and several cafes later, we picked up our Renault and rocking 80’s hits through the winding roads of Paris the next morning, we made our way with fingers crossed to the coastal town of Caen, Normandy, home of the Depestele Family and their operations. We were so fortunate to be able to enjoy this stunning town by night too, and we enjoyed exploring it and trying out our rudimentary pidgin high-school French on the friendly locals. 

The thing to know about the Normandy area is that flax is grown everywhere. Any crop has their perfect environment, and flax thrives in the band of land between Normandy and Amsterdam. On the road toward Caen, trucks piled with bales of flax passed by and we knew we were in the right place and it felt like we ‘d come to our Foxtrot “home”.

The Depestele Group is a family-owned business who are the largest private grower in Europe. They have been in operation since 1850 and now partner with growers at 900 farms who, between them, cultivate 15,000 hectares of flax each year. Ruthlessly devoted to quality, integrity and innovation, it was a true privilege to meet the masters behind the fabric we sell. 

After a quick cuppa in a warm office on a very bleak day, Tom and Margeaux Depestele (cousins) shared the secrets to growing the world’s best flax (which is, of course, the secret to the world’s best linen!) and took us through the factory where their crops are processed before being sent off to be spun and woven into fabric in our China operations. 

Right from the start, the Depesteles explained the nuances of organic versus conventional linen. While a GOTS-certified stamp can be appealing, organic protocols result in inferior flax and is incredibly expensive and while admirable, is unsustainable to produce. They explained that using (minimal) pesticides to keep the flax plants healthy breeds far stronger plants. All traces of chemicals are removed by the final processing, so the flax fibres are entirely “pure” when shipped overseas for further processing. With "greenwashing” rhetoric rampant world-wide, it’s important to us that we’re offering the best quality product with transparency all the way, and we were encouraged that the Depesteles are committed to the same.

Flax (linum usitatissimum) grows to maturity in a brief, one hundred day window over the northern spring and summer, then goes through four stages before it’s ready for export: pulling, retting, scutching, and hackling.

First, unlike most crops, the flax plants are pulled from the earth, rather than cut – this means the entire plant is usable, including the root, and nothing is wasted. As the plants are laid out in the fields, they dry in the sun and go from green, to yellow, to brown.  As they lay exposed to the elements in the fields, nature works her magic in the retting process. The plants absorb moisture from the air and microorganisms within the plant break down the plant tissues that hold the flax together, allowing the fibres to be separated from the woody stem. 

Scutching is next – and the Depestele Group has three major scutching factories across Normandy. Decomposed plants are taken to the factory and go through the chemical-free process of separating flax fibres from the rest of the plant (stalks and seeds), getting rid of everything that won’t eventually be spun and woven. The longest fibres are the highest quality and the only ones that make their way into our Foxtrot linen. After scutching, the flax is tied into what look like giant blonde ponytails – which inspired Kate’s Rapunzel moment on the factory floor here.

Finally, hackling is the last process performed before the linen is ready to be shipped elsewhere.  Fibres are pulled through combs to separate them out into fine, silky strands that are straight, clean and bundled into bales ready for export and spinning into thread.

At this point, our linen bales make their way to China, where our makers take the flax linen through the final stages of producing your beautiful Foxtrot Linen – more on this part of the process soon!

The above is but a tiny snapshot of what we learnt. Safe to say we were in awe the entire duration of our visit. There was so much to learn and we thoroughly enjoyed the cousins’ company. We had an absolute ball in Normandy – and we feel like we closed the loop by learning more about the roots of our linen and seeing it all in context. Being at the factory in Normandy made it obvious once again that making good products takes time, effort and skill at every step: nothing happens overnight! The Depesteles have several generations of knowledge and skill that is forever changing to remain ahead of their game. We are honoured to have spent this time with them, learning what it is they do best. We want to know every part of our supply chain and forming connections with the family businesses in both France and in China is incredibly important part of our business ethos

After farewelling the factory and the Depesteles, we wound our way through country lanes trying to find a bona fide ancient chateau (these were clearly designed with tractors in mind instead of Kiwi tourists who sometimes forget their rights and lefts).  As we enjoyed lunch at a nearby village boulangerie, a tractor cruised through the centre of town, stacked with bales of flax. It was so clear that linen is at the heart of everything in Normandy, and we felt luckier than ever to have seen and been part of it.