Edit 2019: the brand's range has expanded significantly since this test dating from 2015. Still made in France, you will find jeans in rather creative fabrics such as a 100% hemp model or another 45% wool 55% cotton .
Denim overalls and wide-cut jeans with suspender buttons on the front are also some of the great references offered by the brand.
Classic selvedge styles with tailored cuts are still in style.
Geoffrey's disclaimer: I had the pleasure of meeting Julien Tuffery during the TV show La Quotidienne on France 5, in which we appeared to provide our point of view on jeans.
After having Julien participate in our file on Made in France , I wanted the team to test these jeans, competitive for a product from France.
Lionel now has the floor!
Behind this name - which recalls Homer Simpson's favorite beer - are the diminutive of Tuffery and a long family history, which has managed to inscribe its know-how in the French industrial heritage.
The story begins in 1892, more precisely in Florac in Lozère. Célestin Tuffery is a clothing tailor who manufactured sturdy work pants to satisfy workers: the thick canvas was very appreciated by the workers, who saw in it work clothing adapted to their hostile environment.
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Here is the Tuffery family almost complete.
His business grew rapidly, so much so that Célestin had to adapt his production pace, because everything was handmade and tailor-made to suit the customers of the time. Yes, at the time, tailor-made was commonplace, today it is a luxury!
Later, it was Jean-Alphonse, Célestin's son, who took over the family business. He learned tailoring in Nîmes, and uses the city's fabric which has the particularity of being 100% cotton, woven with a white thread and anindigo-dyed thread.
Under his direction, the pants are made with this “denim” fabric (a contraction of “de Nîmes”!) and therefore become… jeans! A big success for Tuffery who will benefit from the denim fashion – launched by cinema stars – which will be adopted in France, Le Monde et l'Univers in the 1950s.
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Former storefront of the Tuffery workshop.
Then arrives the third generation of the Tuffery family, with Marie Claude, Jean Jacques, Jean Pierre and Norbert, who take over manufacturing by deciding to specialize in jeans . As demand continues to grow, the Florac workshop hires up to 40 employees to produce more than 500 jeans per day. The clothing workshop registers a brand: it's decided, it will be TUFF'S jeans .
DECLINE OF THE WORKSHOP IN THE 1970S
After this prosperous period, the workshop experienced difficulties in the 1970s. Consumption patterns evolved, major distribution channels appeared, global trade developed, production relocated and competition from foreign countries became unbearable.
The Lozère workshop will not escape closure, but the family, strong in its heritage, continues to produce its Made in Lozère jeans, the last jeans entirely produced in France. It was important for the family not to relocate in order to maintain proximity with its collaborators .
The Tufferys do not want to be identified with the over-marketing linked to Made in France "in all sauces", and are indignant to see that there are brands which take advantage of this designation to sell a product which is not totally made in France.
Today, the Tuffery family continues to promote its artisanal and industrial heritage by making their jeans in the Cévennes, in Florac.
And Julien Tuffery, 4th generation, takes over at the helm of the brand's Web and communications.
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Florac station with Julien Tuffery.
COMPARISON BETWEEN INDUSTRIAL AND ARTISANAL PRODUCTION OF JEANS
During industrial production, once the different pieces of jeans are cut from the canvas mattress, the bales of yokes are moved to different production stations, where the workers continually make the same movements.
Thus, the jeans are shaped following a very precise assembly line, passing through the hands of around twenty people. Of course, such a production chain meets the challenges of economies of scale and productivity gains.
© This is Tuff's workshop.
This is Tuff's workshop.
In artisanal production, it’s quite the opposite! This is the same person who ensures that all operations in the manufacturing process are followed to the letter. Currently, the Tuff's workshop, comprising only the three historic brothers, produces around 4,000 jeans per year. This has nothing to do with industrial production in terms of volume, as you will have understood.
The Tuff's brand currently offers two models.
- The Célestin has a straight cut and a slightly high waist, it is available in three washes; raw, clear and stonewash .
- The Alphonse , tested here, has a much more contemporary cut, a low waist tightened on the leg, as well as on the ankle.
The brand has indicated that it may design other models in the future. Knowing their pace of artisanal production, that's all we can wish for them.
TUFF'S JEANS TEST - €99
I decided to wear these raw jeans in a simple outfit: a sky blue shirt and brown leather shoes.
The rather wide fit of the shirt, reminiscent of a tunic, and its tab collar bring a little touch of singularity to this look.
Okay, I'll put on my glasses, we'll take a closer look.
TUFF'S JEANS IN DETAIL
The seams are even and the crotch seam is well aligned. The canvas used is a pretty 14oz thick fabric, woven in the Spanish Basque Country.
The latter has been rinsed at the factory, which gives it a softer appearance, therefore more comfortable from the first wear. We are the opposite of APC, Edwin, Denham, Nudies and other “cardboard” denims that can be found commercially.
The pocket bags are made of a rather thin fabric, probably a cotton/polyester blend, which is there to provide resistance and softness. However, the assembly is rather basic: the seam connecting the pocket to the body of the jeans could be cleaner.
The thick leather patch is slightly bluish from the indigo of the canvas, which gives it extra character.
The right rear loop is decorated with a fine “Blue, white, red” border.
The supplies are quality, the rivets as well as the buttons are stamped Tuff's. The zip, for its part, comes from the famous Japanese manufacturer YKK. It is a guarantee of quality.
The label is a raw white braid on which, just like on the patch, the Tuff's site .
