ALM: +85 years of history in the manufacture of textile products
1940-1950: creating
In 1939, Jeanne ONGANIA started making women's underwear (empire shirts, long trousers, etc.) and wedding dresses.
She sometimes travelled to the Loire to barter Vosges charcuterie and cheeses for fabric! From 1943 onwards, she had an ausweis (a German pass allowing her to cross from the free zone to the occupied zone) to continue her trade.
The 'Perle de Vologne' brand was associated with the pearl mussel cultivated in the Vologne, whose pearls were used to adorn dresses.
In particular, she is said to have brought back a 500-metre roll of blue tulle that she had no use for, before convincing a young customer to use it to make her wedding dress, launching a trend for blue dresses in the Vosges for over a year!
Although the company had 6 or 7 employees, the business was struggling to grow.
Foreign roots?
The ONGANIA family originates from Lombardy in Italy. Their surname may be of Hungarian origin (Ongaro means Hungarian in Italian) The grandfather, Louis, le the province of Lecco at the beginning of the 19th century to settle in Docelles as a bricklayer.
A little romance!
The HALBOUT family originated in Normandy. Their surname is thought to be of Germanic origin (hal = mysterious + bold = daring).
The grandfather, Lucien, was a cavalry officer posted to Epinal. He and his brother were allowed to use the horses at weekends. They got into the habit of watering their horses at the Docelles wash-house, opposite which lived two young women from the village... whom they eventually married.
1950-1970: diversifying
In 1948 Georges HALBOUT, Jeanne's husband, was a sales representative for Henry BOUCHER Fils et Cie paper mills. He resigned to join the family business, creating the HALBOUT establishments.
In 1952-54, he developed the healthcare market.
In 1957 to support its development, a new site was opened in Lépanges-sur-Vologne (a village 6km away). It was designed to make bolster covers for the army, as well as camping chair covers (woven on site by Decouvelaerd): up to 1.5 million units were sold each year for less than FRS 0.17! As for the Docelles site, it was used to make layettes, nappies, fleeces, nappies, etc.
In the 60s, the family business employed over 250 people!
Recruitment difficulties in the early 19th century?
A er the war, it was very difficult to find staff in Docelles because the workers were 'reserved' for the Grand-Meix paper factory. This company, founded in 1478, housed its employees in the village at very low rents. Employees were obliged to place their children with the company as soon as they reached the age of majority, otherwise their rent would be multiplied by 2 or 3! Some young women finished their two-year apprenticeships in dressmaking, crying because they had to leave the company to work in the paper mill
1970-1990: outsourcing
Son Gérard and then granddaughter Sophie would in turn join the company.
The 1980s were less prosperous, particularly given the difficult economic climate in the textile industry, which led to a major redundancy programme. The Lépanges-sur-Vologne site closed at the end of 1985, and a large part of production was relocated to North Africa (first to Morocco, then to Tunisia).
The textile industry in crisis at the end of the 19th century…
Between 1950 and 1970, almost 100 factories in the Vosges closed. In the second half of the 19th century, Lorraine lost more than 52,000 textile jobs
The situation is mainly linked to the liberalisation of trade (1951).
The explosion in imports is forcing entrepreneurs to close or relocate.
1990-2020: structuring and expanding
In 1994 : Integration of the company into a Belgian group
In 2008 : Integration of GRUSON (founded in 1956 in Amiens, Picardy) & MANORVOS (founded in 1978 in Rouen, Normandy) into the Belgian group and merger with the company to create the brand ALM.
In 2016 : Sale of the company to a French family group combining tradition, excellence and innovation: perpetuating (for more than 300 years) a unique know-how recognised on an international scale while giving the necessary impetus for our structure to adapt to contemporary challenges.
The company is diversifying its offering, building loyalty among its partners and stepping up its development.
ALM, still based in Docelles, is one of the largest employers in the Vosges Vologne valley, a region historically dedicated to the paper and textile industries.
A match made in heaven…
MANORVOS is a contraction of MANufacture NORmande and VOSgienne!
Healthcare institutions: a long-standing specialisation for ALM
Our history as a manufacturer and distributor of professional clothing has led us to specialise in the health and well-being sector. We have developed the know-how and expertise needed to equip all the professionals involved in hospital life: operating theatre outfits for surgeons, nursing outfits for carers, shirts for patients, complete outfits for cooks, waistcoats for ambulance drivers, workwear for electricians, lorry drivers and maintenance workers, etc.
The ALM professional clothing brand catalogue, for example, offers over 90% of the textile items needed to run a healthcare establishment.
Protecting the environment and society: a concern in our DNA
In just a few years, ALM has become one of France's leading players in textile equipment for industrial laundries. While our comprehensive range stands out for its diversity and quality, it is also driven by our desire to generate as positive an impact as possible. As well as being a designer, manufacturer and distributor of professional clothing, ALM is a family business that:
- Defends human values
- Follows a sustainable development policy
- Has a real sense of ethics