New Sajou Fil au Chinois "Lin Cable" Waxed Linen Thread #532. Leather Work Cord

FOR SALE:

Brand new Sajou Fil au Chinois "Lin Cable"  Waxed Linen Thread  #532 (0.57mm diameter). 31 colors. Made in France Thread comes not on a spool. You will get it winded to cardboard and placed to  protective  plastic bag.

The N°532 linen cable has a diameter of 0.57mm. Each spool contains 50 grams, approximately 250 meters of thread. It is average thickness and most commonly used. About   Fil au Chinois "Lin Cable" waxed linen thread: The Fil Au Chinois waxed “Lin Cable” is a luxury thread for high-quality leather work. As indicated in the name, this thread is cabled, signifying that the threads have been twisted a first time, and then these threads are assembled and twisted a second time. The term "cable", or corded, signifies this double twist. This obviously increases greatly the solidity of the thread, but also makes it more rounded, particularly adaptable for leather work. We have five thicknesses of linen cable: N°332 (0.77mm diameter), N°432 (0.63mm diameter), N°532 (0.57mm diameter), N°632 (0.51mm diameter), and the N°832 (0.43mm diameter).

ABOUT SAJOU FIL AU CHINOIS BRAND

The name, fil au Chinois, dates back to a period in France when anything Oriental was fashionable. This interest for the Orient became very popular with the expedition to Egypt in 1798, by Bonaparte (the future Napoléon), Algeria’s conquest by France (1830) and twenty-five years later the opening up of China and Japan only reinforced this interest. The beginning of the brand Au Chinois was at the heart of this cultural movement. The idea was a success as it permitted the creation of a character easily identifiable and now legendary.

The brand, Fil Au Chinois was registered in 1847, by Francois-Philibert Vrau who founded his company in Lille twenty years beforehand. This was to protect an innovative method to present threads; spools surrounded with a label and placed in boxes.

But the brand Fil au Chinois really took off in the 1850’s with the arrival of Philibert Vrau, the director’s son. This remarkable person leads an unusual life. Single by choice, Philibert Vrau (1829-1905) never ceased to successfully run his company and donated all profits towards social causes. An important figure amongst Lillois businessmen, he was the main founder of ICAM, a Catholic Engineering School.

He directed Vrau with incredible business acumen. His success is an example, especially when we know he rarely worked at Vrau full time. One of the methods applied by Philibert Vrau is worth mentioning. Unlike his rivals and their illogical low prices, Philibert Vrau used an uncompromising pricing policy with a bonus system to encourage brand loyalty. A faultless organization in the workshop and offices, employees well looked after and a good team of agents did the rest. Success was immediate; annual sales in 1864 of 282 000 boxes soared to 1 950 000 in 1875. One box contai­ned 48 spools each 50 meters long which represented at peak sales; 93 million spools, the equivalent of three spools per Frenchman per year!

Then, like many other brands in Northern France, the Fil Au Chinois had a long period of decline mainly due to the first domestic sewing machines which were unsuitable for linen threads, industrial difficulties, inappropriate commercial policies...

While production numbers for the Fil Au Chinois didn’t stop decreasing, the interest for publicity objects and old products only increased for seasoned collectors. 

The Fil Au Chinois thread could have been in danger of disappearing had it not been for two, determined industrialists, Olivier and Bruno Toulemonde.In charge of Ets Toulemonde, one of the last remaining French thread manufacturers, the two brothers realized the importance of reviving and prolonging the history of Fil Au Chinois.

In 2007, Olivier and Bruno Toulemonde, determined to revive Fil Au Chinois and bring it back to its former glory, bought the branded product having overcome various difficulties amongst them putting machines back into working order, some dating back to 1890.

Frédérique Crestin-Billet, a passionate collector and herself at the heart of the Sajou brand revival, is part of this joint venture to restore the quality packaging that was once the hallmark of Fil Au Chinois.