A family rooted in an exceptional terroir
We are Camille and Alexis MENAGER, creators of the brand EMBRIN.
Here is the story of our House.
Where It All Began
After our agricultural engineering training, we returned to live on the family farm in Ambrumesnil, at the heart of the world's finest textile flax production area.
A few years ago, during a stay in a bed and breakfast, we slept in washed linen sheets. What a treat!! Upon waking, we hurried to note the brand to buy a similar one…
However, after a few nights and several washes, this set deteriorated. Moreover, as is often unfortunately the case, we had no information about the origin of the linen and the traceability of the product.
A Family Story
As a family of flax producers for four generations, creating our own brand seemed an obvious duty. A duty to honour our ancestors, who invested so much in cultivating and transforming this exceptional natural fibre. Also, a duty to bring more transparency, traceability, and ecology into a mass consumption society, where we use up in eight months what the Earth can provide in a year... and finally, the duty to offer you the best of flax in each of our products.
The Rise of Linen in Normandy
The cultivation of flax in France will experience a rapid growth until the mid-19th century, becoming the most used textile fibre in the country.
However, its transformation, still very artisanal, was quickly overtaken by the modernisation of the imported cotton industry, then by the arrival of synthetic textiles and the constant increase in labour costs. Flax was neglected. It would not be until the interwar period that flax would reappear on our Norman lands. The Belgians, who were already cultivating this plant, decided to settle in Normandy, finding the climate ideal and the soil rich and fertile.
A family heritage
Our great-grandfathers, André and Jules, started growing flax on their respective farms in the 1930s. Henri, on the other hand, was a flax scutcher in Tourville-les-Ifs, near Fécamp. All three were passionate and passed on their love for this demanding fibre and craftsmanship to the following generations.
It was Jean-Pierre, our grandfather, who bought the Château Farm in Ambrumesnil in the 1950s to grow cereals, vegetables, and textile flax. Today, this farm is the headquarters of our family brand. It is here, in the heart of the family flax fields, that we envision and create the products of the EMBRIN collection every day.
We do not inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
A terroir between Land & Sea
Linen is the only textile fibre native to Europe. It represents 1% of the global textile market, yet 85% of its production is carried out in Europe, with 55% in Normandy.
Of the 90,000 hectares of linen grown along the coastal strip from Caen to Amsterdam, Normandy produces 47,000 hectares. It is the leading linen-producing region in the world, thanks to the quality of its soil and its mild oceanic climate. This non-relocatable production is managed by 2,300 Norman farmers. In Europe, linen creates no fewer than 12,000 direct jobs, a source of pride for our region.
Come admire our flax fields
If you would like to see our family flax fields and learn more about the transformation of textile flax, we would be delighted to welcome you, by appointment from March to the end of August (flax production season).
There is also the opportunity to explore and purchase our collections on-site in our showroom, all year round by appointment at 02 35 85 27 74.
This is also a chance to (re)discover our beautiful Normandy!