JEKEL

Founded in 1947 by Jacques Jekel in the very heart of Paris. Jekel is the creator of high end fashion coats made of shearling and leather. Jekel coats are synonmous with comfort and elegance. To understand the Jekel "spirit" one has to appreciate the acceptance of shearling as being part and parcel of todays fashion, unlike merely a part of coats trimming as was the common usage practice when Jacques Jekel founded the firm.

The success of the firm is due to two things:

Jacques Jekel, in close collaboration with European tanners and suppliers, developed a shearling coat that was resistant to the vagaries of weather. Another feature of of a Jekel coat is that all skin matching is done under natural light. All coats are closed edge to edge avoiding that awkward bulk when worn open in milder weather yet overlapping just right for warmth when chilly giving each coat an impeccable integrity that European Elegance demands. The coat's finishing is another area that has made Jekel stand out. Jacques Jekel developed a unique process that gave the product a supleness and provided an extra softness to the touch. Jekel continues the tradition to this day.

The reputation of Jekel's leather and shearling wear spread : Claude Leiouche included Jekel's coats in the famous avant-garde film "a Man and Women". By 1968, shearling had become a fashion item and Jekel designed and made the coats worn by the French Olympic team at Albertville Games.

Jekel brought into the firm top fashion designers together they made of shearling wear an accepted part of "pret a porte". And by the 80's, Jekel became suppliers to the main Fashion Houses and department stores worldwide. Names such as Yves St. Laurent, sonia Rykel, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nieman Marcus carry coats made by Jekel.

Today the family business has been handed to Sylvain Jekel who continues the tradition and has molded the business into an efficient and vibrant firm. Having understood that quality and value cannot be solved by out- sourcing. By continuing the tradition of craft and combining hi tech Jekel has maintained its edge by recognizing that there is no substitute for its craftsmen and suppliers which took years to evolve. Many of our workers have been with the firm for years, an experience that is difficult to replicate elsewhere.

The advent of the pret a porter emphasised the fashion and Jacques Jekel, in collaboration with Parisian designers, created the vanguard in shearling wear. Reversible skins and the creator's imagination fashioned coats that would find their place within ones closet. Soon all the great names carried coats made by Jekel. Their choice of Jekel was that the quality and craft that the enterprise developed was a value that the could depend on. This carries on today. Sylvain Jekel has molded the company into a Parisian institution. The combination of computerisation and the proximity of production allows Jekel to respond to changing fashion very quickly. This has eliminated the need ofoutsourciong, shortening delivery times and more importantly, the ability to control quality. These are the ingredients that underpin Jekel's success.

http://www.jekel.fr/