Guy Cotten is a French outdoor clothing manufacturer founded in 1964.Fiche Guy Cotten
sur lexpansion.com It was founded by Guy Cotten (October 4, 1936 – April 3, 2013), and is known for its distinctive yellow oilskin items. The company sells clothing and personal equipment in areas such as the fishing industry, all sea-related professions, outdoor, all-weather and safety clothing.

Company history

Born in

Saint-Yvi Saint-Yvi (; before September 2005: ''Saint-Yvy'', ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.Finistère Finistère (, ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest, France, Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Henri Haget, ''Guy Cotten, l'homme qui couvre les gens de mer'', L'Express n°2380, 13 février 1997 In 1964, Cotten started to sell clothes for commercial fishing at the harbour of

Concarneau Concarneau (, meaning "Bay of Cornouaille") is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in Northwestern France. Concarneau is bordered to the west by the Baie ...

, and decided to launch his own workshop in order to create lighter and more resistant oilskins.Etablissements Guy Cotten
sur Societe.com He wanted to use nylon fabrics instead of the usual coated cotton. He conceived in 1966 the ''Rosbras'', a jacket with a double velcro and a zip fastener, which became the reference item of the brand. The jacket is made of a polyester fabric covered in a PVC from the

Ardèche Ardèche (; , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche (river), Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Guy Cotten, à l'épreuve du temps
», ''Figaro madame'', 4 août 2008 The company started with only ten workers but due to its success and to respond to the important demand a new workshop opened in Trégunc. In 1974, Alain Le Quernec drew the little yellow man which became the emblematic brand logo and in 1981 the slogan ''L'abri du marin (the sailor's shelter)'' is added.Sylvie Béchet,
Concarneau grandit !
'', Finistère Hebdo In 1988, the company took over Piel owned by

Pirelli Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is an Italian multinational tyre manufacturer based in the city of Milan, Italy. The company, which has been listed on the Borsa Italiana since 1922, is the 5th-largest tyre manufacturer, and is focused on the consumer pro ...

, specialised in survival equipment. It took the company 4 years to design and create the TPS (''Thermal Protective Survival''), a soft, light and isolating survival suit which saved the life of

Raphaël Dinelli Raphaël Dinelli (born in Floirac, Gironde) is a French professional offshore sailor. He took part in the 1996-1997 Vendee Globe where he was rescued by Pete Goss after his boat sank in the Indian Ocean and he was in a liferaft dropped by an A ...

and Thierry Dubois, during the Vendée Globe Race in 1996. Guy Cotten became a multinational with subsidiaries in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, The company is a market leader for the sea related professions and people practicing outdoors activities. The brand is present in 5000 outlets, of which 2000 are outside France, but the Rosbras jacket, the symbol of the brand, only represents 10% of overall sales nowadays. In 2003, Nadine Bertholom, daughter of the founder, took charge of the company. In 2006, the company dominated the Salon nautique de Paris with its capuche Magic (''Magic hood''), which follows the movements of the wearer's head.
La capuche Magic de Guy Cotten primée
'', Bretagne innovation, 10 November 2006 The company also sponsors competitive sailors Gilles Gahinet,

Florence Arthaud Florence Arthaud, (28 October 1957 – 9 March 2015) was a French sailor. In 1990, she became the first woman to win the ''Route du Rhum''. She died in a helicopter crash in the Argentine province of La Rioja while she was participating in the ...

and

Jean Le Cam Jean Le Cam (born 27 April 1959 in Quimper, Finistère) is a French sailor. In 1981–82, he was a crewmember on Euromarché in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. Le Cam was crewman with Éric Tabarly and Michel Desjoyeaux, and won t ...

, and is a partner to the French National Team.

References

Bibliography

* ''Guy Cotten, imperméable breton'', Laurent Charpentier, ''Voiles et Voiliers'' n°398, April 2004 . * ''Le leader mondial du ciré professionnel est breton'', Le Midi Libre, 30 January 2004 {{Authority control Clothing brands of France Clothing companies of France Outdoor clothing brands Privately held companies of France French companies established in 1964