The story of socks by Broussaud is a story about a family, and about couples, too. Following in the footsteps of his grandparents and parents, Aymeric took over the reins accompanied by his wife, Alexandra. “My grandmother was the daughter of the local grocer in a village called Cars, in Haute-Vienne. My grandfather was born in Limoges, and was salesman. He fell in love with her as she sat making socks in the corner. Together, they decided that they could perhaps make a living from it.”
The first Broussaud socks came off the production line in 1938, and every generation since has left their mark. “In my grandparents’ time they still used mechanical machines that whirred away weaving mostly men’s and women’s socks. But my mother really liked babies and children, and was known for the collections she made for them. Today, we make socks for the whole family, and for every stage of life!” And the socks are exported far beyond the boundaries of the Périgord-Limousin Natural Park.
Come for a factory tour
Three generations, and 80 years of socks... the Broussaud brand is an old one that needed the cobwebs swept away, but today it is trendier than ever. It’s simple: if you don’t have Limousin socks, your life’s really missing something! But which ones should you choose?
Well for starters, you can buy them from the factory. “In my grandparents’ and parents’ day, we only ever saw people who work here coming into the factory. But with us, the door’s always open! Pop in and say hello, see how we make our socks, and check out our lovely factory shop. You can even find some good deals!”
There’s more than one way to refresh your style!
The Deville is a sure-fire hit. Whether cotton or elastane, they can be worn every single day and they just glide on. You won’t put your back out struggling to pull them up! (That’s one way of recognising made-in-Limousin socks). And for the fashion-conscious man with a taste for the finer things in life, there’s our well-established Deluxe model. “You can even wear them with trainers. I saw that in a fashion show. There’s more than one way to refresh your style!” It’s a made-in-Limousin style that the biggest brands and designers wasted no time adopting. Archiduchesse was the first to sing the praises of Broussaud socks, soon followed by Mosaert, Stromae’s label, and Coralie Barbier, not to forget Le Slip français.
To get some of our socks on your feet, visit the Broussaud factory (1 rue Prieure, 87230 Les Cars), open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. You can also tour the factory on Saturdays (booking required and minimum group size of 15).
Journalist and editor