Doré Doré celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2019!
Founded in 1819 by Jean-Baptiste Doré, « Doré Doré », best known as « DD », is a two-hundred-year-old french brand that specializes in hosiery and underwear. The brand mostly sells socks and tights.
Early beginnings
Until 2011, the company was headquartered in the village of Fontaine-Lès-Grès, in the suburb of Troyes. Thus, DD is part of the industrial heritage in Eastern France. The village was even named « Sock capital of the world » thanks to the establishment of Doré Doré’s factories.
Initially made at home or in small workshops, the production would then expand and be organized on a bigger scale in the 1890’s.
At the very beginning, Jean-Baptiste Doré, an artisan of Fontaine-Lès-Grès, made an offer to his neighbors to take care of the distribution of the socks they were manufacturing at home. He then offered to take care of their yarn supply. This is how the adventure began.
Jean-Baptiste’s brother, Laurent, took over the company in 1835. He had the idea to gather workers together in small workshops and expand to other neighborhoods.
Brand launch and development
In 1862, the company name « Doré Doré » was trademarked by Elie Doré, Laurent Doré’s son-in-law and chairman of the company at the time. The brand « Doré Doré » was established after two sides of the Doré family united.
The beginning of the 20th century marked the rapid growth of Doré Doré both in France and globally. The Fontaine-lès-Grès factory employed up to 1,700 workers in 1970.
The vision of André Doré
Under the chairmanship of André Doré, both visionary and humanist, the company was ahead of its time, designing and implementing social protection programs for its employees. The company provided their workers with health insurance, which was unprecedented at the time.
Doré Doré advertising
Doré Doré’s first ad campaign named « The little sailors », was drawn by French illustrator Gad and was launched in 1933. The sailors were used as brand mascots until the beginning of 1970, and helped the brand increase its visibility.
Other iconic ad campaigns would then be drawn by renowned illustrators such as Ottrino Andreini, Bernard Villemot, and Francis Martocq.
Celebrating Doré Doré’s 200th anniversary
In 2019, Doré Doré celebrated its 200th anniversary. An exhibition recounting the history of the brand was held at the hosiery museum in Troyes, put together with the city of Troyes and former Doré Doré employees. It highlighted the humanist and social sides of the company, along with its technical innovations and its clever use of advertising to promote its products.
Celebrating Doré Doré’s 200th anniversary was a good opportunity to reflect on the history of the company and the impact it had on its employees, as well as the Troyes region. It was also an opportunity to shape the future of the company and share its vision with everyone involved, both current and former employees of Doré Doré.
Doré Doré’s retail development
Already established in France with a dozen boutiques, the brand would go on to expand its distribution network by opening new shops in Nice and Rennes in 2016 and 2017.
In 2018, the Neuilly boutique was opened, displaying a new design in line with DD’s new brand identity. The whole interior design was revamped. The mix of black and gold, referring to the history of Doré Doré, and the use of high-end materials such as marble and wood, tend to highlight the quality the brand delivers.
In 2019, Doré Doré opened its flagship store located at 66 rue de Rennes in Paris.
In 2021, the brand opened a shop in Limoges.