A brief history of the Marcel tank top

The only factory of the real Marcel

Around 1860, the strong men of the Halles de Paris, to be more comfortable in their work, cut the sleeves of their sweaters. Quickly, this “tank top” seduced all the surrounding workers, the workers, the farmers and then the soldiers.

From Paris, this original undershirt crosses 400 kilometers, towards a modest district capital of the Loire: Roanne. One of the city's many companies, Etablissements Marcel, headed by Marcel Eisenberg, bet on this revolutionary tank top and bequeathed its name to it. The success was immediate and he became famous throughout the world. From the 1950s, we saw it on all the beaches, becoming the symbol of the first paid holidays. It even appeared on the big screen in Europe and across the Atlantic.

The real Marcel de Roanne tank top is born.

After more than 40 years of experience, Etablissements Marcel, like the majority of the French textile industrial fabric, cannot resist relocation and their liquidation is pronounced. Today, the adventure of the Marcel undershirt is reborn in our workshops.

Transmission, excellence and common sense

At the heart of a region traditionally linked to the textile industry, Roanne was the cradle of many leading manufacturers in hosiery and knitwear. Heirs of this industrial heritage, we are proud to maintain historical and local know-how within our workshops.

The qualitative requirements of our manufacturing process are similar to those of luxury and haute couture. Each Marcel undershirt reflects the French art of living.

We use the finest cotton threads (extra long fiber Pima cotton), giving our clothes softness and durability. The spinning mill is located in Greece, the knitting and dyeing is carried out in Roanne. The seamstresses of Tricots Marcel carry out the cutting and making in the traditional way and in order to ensure our duty of transmission, the youngest are trained in contact with the oldest.

By bringing together all the links in the production chain at the local level, we guarantee traceability and we participate in the creation of a fairer exchange model with respect for people and their environment.

We work with common sense and transparency and even if our roots are in the past, our eyes are turned towards the future.