A brief history of the Marcel tank top

The unique manufacture of the true Marcel

Around 1860, the workers in the Halles of Paris, seeking to be more comfortable in their work, cut the sleeves off their sweaters. Quickly, this "sleeveless shirt" captivated all the surrounding workers, from laborers to farmers and then soldiers.

From Paris, this original knitwear traveled 400 kilometers to a modest administrative center in the Loire: Roanne. One of the many companies in the city, the Etablissements Marcel, led by Marcel Eisenberg, capitalized on this revolutionary sleeveless shirt and bequeathed it its name. The success was immediate, and it became famous worldwide. From the 1950s, it was seen on all the beaches, thus becoming the symbol of the first paid vacations. It even made its appearance on the big screen in Europe and across the Atlantic.

The true sleeveless shirt Marcel from Roanne was born.

After more than 40 years of experience, the Etablissements Marcel, like the majority of the French textile industrial fabric, could not withstand outsourcing, and their liquidation was pronounced. Today, the adventure of the Marcel undershirt is reborn in our workshops.

Transmission, excellence, and common sense

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

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

We use the finest cotton threads (extra-long fiber Pima cotton), providing softness and durability to our garments. The spinning is located in Greece, while knitting and dyeing are carried out in Roanne. The seamstresses at Les Tricots Marcel cut and sew traditionally, and in order to ensure our duty of transmission, the younger ones are trained alongside the older ones.

By gathering all the links of the production chain at the local level, we ensure traceability and contribute to creating a fairer exchange model that respects people and their environment.

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