Our History
The Early days
The story of Formens begins in 1997 when Gerard Losson, a recent textile engineering graduate, partnered with his classmate Thomas Pouget.
Both aged 27 at the time, they had observed the decline of the French textile industry for several years, marked by factory closures and offshoring. Producing suits in France was increasingly difficult.
In this context, their ambition was born: to help French suit brands restore competitive production in price and quality and breathe new life into the industry they loved.
On the cusp of a thriving Europe after the Berlin Wall fell, they started as production coordinators for French brands, with Gerard managing production and sourcing, while Thomas oversaw business development.
During their European travels, they found a major opportunity in Romania, where a historic textile region offered attractive price-to-quality ratios and exceptional expertise.
Formens opens its first factory
In 1999, Gerard and Thomas established their own production workshop in Botosani, Romania, after acquiring essential equipment at an auction in France. They invited skilled French technicians to join them, transforming a former Soviet cotton mill in Botosani into Formens' first historical factory. They emphasized employee well-being with fair wages, health coverage, and more. This factory remains the nerve center of their innovative made-to-measure suit manufacturing.
Beginning of our Made-To-Measure offering
Acquisition of a Stake in d'Avenza, Italy
Thanks to the stake we acquired in d'Avenza, a historical Italian tailoring company, we've been able to significantly improve our know-how.
All our patterns have been reviewed and enhanced by the expertise of d'Avenza's master craftsmen.
Formens is now known throughout the industry as a Romanian company, endowed with the heritage of Italian sartorial tradition.
China enters the WTO, founders split
Over the years, Formens became a key player in the European clothing industry. But the journey hasn't been without challenges: the economic difficulties of the 2000s and China's WTO entry in 2005 created a challenging environment, leading to Thomas's departure to pursue a different textile project.
Despite these circumstances, we stayed true to our values. We refused to compromise worker well-being, maintaining responsible social practices and decent working conditions.
Acquisition of the Berditchev Clothing Factory, Ukraine
Formens expands their production capacity by acquiring this factory founded in 1920, comprising 600 employees.
Acquisition of JGR Factory
We've acquired the JGR Tiflet Factory in the Khemisset province, a 630 employees company founded in 1993 by the italian industrial pioneers of the Redaelli Family.
By May 2025, JGR is to become the new Formens Morocco : all production will be moved to the Ain Johra freezone, in a state-of-the-art 12 000 sqm brand new factory built to offer the highest working standards to our workers, in a HQE rated building equiped with 1MW of solar panels, as well as offices and a cateen with a garden view.
Formens opens its first factory
In 1999, Gérard and Thomas established their own production workshop in Botosani, Romania, after acquiring essential equipment at an auction in France. They invited skilled French technicians to join them, transforming a former Soviet cotton mill in Botosani into Formens' first historical factory. They emphasized employee well-being with fair wages, health coverage, and more. This factory remains the nerve center of their innovative made-to-measure suit manufacturing.
China enters the WTO, founders split
Over the years, Formens became a key player in the European clothing industry. But the journey hasn't been without challenges: the economic difficulties of the 2000s and China's WTO entry in 2005 created a challenging environment, leading to Thomas's departure to pursue a different textile project.
Despite these circumstances, we stayed true to our values. We refused to compromise worker well-being, maintaining responsible social practices and decent working conditions.
Beginning of our Made-To-Measure offering
Acquisition of the Berditchev Clothing Factory, Ukraine
Formens expands their production capacity by acquiring this factory founded in 1920, comprising 600 employees.
Acquisition of a Stake in d’Avenza, Italy
Thanks to the stake we acquired in d’Avenza, a historical Italian tailoring company, we’ve been able to significantly improve our know-how.
All our patterns have been reviewed and enhanced by the expertise of d’Avenza’s master craftsmen.
Formens is now known throughout the industry as a Romanian company, endowed with the heritage of Italian sartorial tradition.
Acquisition of JGR Factory
Acquisition of JGR Morroco : “We’ve acquired the JGR Tiflet Factory in the Khemisset province, a 630 employees company founded in 1993 by the italian industrial pioneers of the Redaelli Family.
By May 2025, all production will be moved to the Ain Johra freezone, in a state-of-the-art 12 000 sqm brand new Factory, built to offer the highest working standards to our workers, in a HQE rated building equiped with 1MW of solar panels, and offices and cateen with a garden view.
Since early 2024, our business has switched its main focus to the Made-To-Measure industry. We're committed to delivering nothing but excellence to our clients, by constantly improving our process and expanding our product range.
We aim to facilitate the growth of the global MTM market, and we've set the goal to become the largest Made to Measure menswear manufacturer outside of China by the end of 2025.