They are made from lambskin, sometimes silk or cashmere, embroidered, beaded, sequined and in every imaginable shade. At Agnelle, each pair of leather gloves is the fruit of a unique artisanal heritage, handed down since 1937 in the heart of French glove-making. In our workshops in Saint-Junien, the historic capital of leather and glove-making, we perpetuate a savoir-faire of excellence, combining tradition, innovation and respect for the material.
Agnelle: Tradition in Every Thread
Refined Leather Selection
The making of our gloves begins with the choice of top-of-the-range leathers.
Lambskin for its finesse and silky feel,
Pécari for its robustness and suppleness,
Deer and calf, prized for their natural grain and elegance,
Velvety goat, for its soft texture and long-lasting durability.
Our leathers come from certified European tanneries that comply with strict environmental standards. Each skin is carefully selected to guarantee the quality, durability and comfort of our gloves.
The Artisans’ Savoir-faire
On the ground floor, cutting is still done on large cherrywood tables. Over time, the wood has developed a patina as it comes into contact with the skins. It is on these tables and with the strength of their wrists that the cutters stretch the skins selected for the gloves. Moistened and then repeatedly stretched lengthways and widthways, the skin becomes suppler, firmer and more elastic, its grain softer. It has been transformed by the hand of man. As if by magic.
This first gesture, known as the ‘Work’ or ‘Wet’, sets the stage for all subsequent gestures. By shaping the material in this way, it sets the ‘tone’ and determines the quality of the final glove. Beforehand, the pieces are die-cut, then assembled and sewn by the seamstresses on the upper floor.
Two cutters now work in the workshop. Olivier and Georges have more than 60 years of experience between them. You can not improvise their trade; it is all about experience. It takes several years to acquire the right gestures for stretching, and the eye and perfect knowledge of the skins, their grain and their flower for cutting.
Glove-Making Virtuosity
The first floor is the realm of the seamstresses, the “gantières”, Michelle and Christelle. As in the past, this is still a job for women. In the past, they used to work from home, sewing and then lining the gloves. This second step is known as filling. Today, everything is done at the workshop, just like it was for the cutters, but the gestures, machines and tools have not changed. They have stood the test of time, even in the workshop that was set up in the Philippines.
Depending on the complexity of the finish, the gloves are sewn either by sewing machine or by hand. When the stitching is done by hand, it takes 3 to 4 hours. Each seamstress “signs” her glove with its length and the spacing between each stitch. In glove-making, the holes through which the thread passes are not made before sewing. Each glove-maker sews “by eye”, using skills that require several years of practice to achieve the perfect spacing between each stitch.
A unique and increasingly rare skill. Over time, certain stitches have become the House's signature. This is particularly true of the Marie-Louise and Aude models.
A seamstress sews between 4 and 10 gloves a day, depending on the complexity of the decorative motifs. A simple glove takes an hour to make, while a more complex piece can take up to four hours.
A committed French glove-making
A family company for three generations, Agnelle was awarded the EPV (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant - Living Heritage Company) label in 2006, and since 2011, the glove-making has been listed in the UNESCO inventory of Métiers d’Art Rare in France. These two accolades recognise the excellence and savoir-faire of the glove-making industry.
