Thanks to the dynamism of its textile industry, the city of Amiens was known for a long time as "the drapery city". From the 17th century, two types of velvet were produced there: one per chain, called Utrecht velvet, intended for furnishing and made from linen and mohair, and a cotton sided velvet intended for clothing.
It was Napoleon 1st who launched the velvet trend, which was considered at the time to be a "bourgeois fabric". The relief printing was developed by Alexandre Bonvallet, who created the first Royal Manufacture of Amiens in 1755.
Velvet is made using a typical Amienese process: for the upholstery fabric, the velvet is embossed with a
cylinder and printed in relief with a copper plate. Amiens' productions are of very good quality and even
rival Genoa's velvet. In 1765, Morgan and Delahaye were the first to start manufacturing this precious
fabric. The company's success was such that it dominated the city's industrial production for two
centuries. Textiles were manufactured by dozens of factories, the number of which fell drastically after
the 1973 oil crisis.
At the end of the 1990s, the Atelier Benoît Toscan revived the printing on velvet for furniture using tools
formerly used in the Royal Manufactures. The last workshops, the Tissages de Picardie and Les Usines
Cosserat, disappeared in 2008 with the opening of the borders.
This long family lineage contributed to the reputation of the Amiens velvet for 200 years. In 1794, Pierre Cosserat opened his manufacturing company and settled in a district of Amiens: he sold his fabrics to a wealthy clientele before specialising in Utrecht embossed velvets, then in the production of cotton velvets and velvetines (smooth velvets). The entrepreneur had them manufactured in the countryside near Amiens and his company was a great success.
Eugène, Pierre's son, took over the company when he died in 1832. He created a weaving workshop in the Saint-Leu district where he made wool and silk fabrics with Jacquard looms. He was also one of the first to equip himself with a steam engine.
In turn, Eugène, Oscar Cosserat's son took over at the age of 41. He diversified the production by producing, in addition to corduroy, smooth velvet for furniture and clothing, of which only the English mastered the industrial technique. His son, Pierre, bought the patents in Manchester and they built a huge factory in Montières with a room of 500 looms, powered by one of the largest steam engines in Europe. The site is now classified as a Historic Monument.
While in receivership, the Cosserat company was taken over in 2004 by the German company Cord & Velveton but closed down in 2012.
Visits and exhibitions allow you to discover the textile heritage of Amiens. For more information, it's here.
Jessica de Comme des Français
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