Six generations of know-how, one village, one workshop, one promise: authenticity.

100% made in France • since 1889 • VISIT BRAND →

Did you know the original French Navy marinière had exactly 21 indigo stripes – one for each of Napoleon’s victories?” As part of inspiring European consumers to buy local for a sustainable Europe…

Founded in 1889 in the village that bears its name in Lower Normandy, SAINT JAMES remains in the very same buildings today. Spinning, knitting, cutting, and sewing all happen under one roof in the historic atelier in Saint-James, Normandy (France), making it one of the last true 100 % French knitwear manufacturers. 100% produced on the European continent.

The Legueux family began as wool spinners for local fishermen. When the French Navy issued the official marinière in 1858, the workshop was already perfectly placed to supply it. Over 135 years later, the same machines, the same hands, and the same village still produce the authentic version – the one sailors, artists, and icons have worn from Brittany to Brooklyn. “We don’t follow fashion,” the current generation says, “we create pieces that become part of your own history.”

Buying SAINT JAMES means owning clothes with a 60-80 % lower carbon footprint than equivalents shipped from Asia, crafted by artisans who earn European wages, using yarns increasingly recycled or responsibly sourced, and built so well that one sweater easily outlasts a decade of fast-fashion cycles. Timeless style, French jobs protected, planet respected.