Our history
Attached to the Pyrenees, magnificent landscapes at the foot of which we are settled, we have chosen to create a brand in our image: authentic and committed. Through a local, artisanal creation and respectful of the environment and know-how, we create simple and modern clothes and accessories in order to value a local resource that has been neglected for too long: the Pyrenean wool.
However, this natural wool had been for a long time one of the pillars and symbols of the Pyrenean economy until the end of the 19th century. But, facing international competition and the appearance of new synthetic fibers, the industry collapsed during the 20th century, even causing the disappearance of 2 out of 3 jobs in this sector.
A few decades ago, the use of Pyrenean wool was still sporadic and was mainly used by shepherds' families to knit wool sweaters and socks to face the harshness of the Pyrenean winter. Carded, it was even used for the manufacture and stuffing of mattresses.
It is therefore this real local treasure that we want to bring up to date through authentic and timeless collections that are in line with a local and environmental economy. We design our sweaters, hats and socks taking into account: materials, including their characteristics and impacts, the know-how and its location, the product and its use.
It is therefore this real local treasure that we want to bring up to date through authentic and timeless collections that are in line with a local and environmental economy. We design our sweaters, hats and socks taking into account: materials, including their characteristics and impacts, the know-how and its location, the product and its use.
We also want to bring a new and modern look to the ancestral work of the Pyrenean wool. Thus, each of our products has a story, a link with the Pyrenees, a meaning.
Who is hiding behind Maison Izard?
Created in 2017 by Yanis Choudar, a lover of the Pyrenees and driven by the desire to give meaning back to the textile industry, Maison Izard was born out of the desire to revitalize the local industry and to revalue one of the Pyrenees' emblematic natural resources: Pyrenean wool.
Originally from Comminges, I took over the brand in 2019. Very attached to French manufacturing and in love with the mountains (and this magnificent region that is South-west!), and after a ten-year exile in Alsatian lands where I used to exercise the functions of marketing and communication director, I had at heart to commit myself in the promotion of my region of origin by seeking to develop local materials, partners and local know-how. Yes, because the first mission of Maison Izard is to promote a neglected but precious raw material: the wool of the Pyrenees. Thanks to a local textile industry, with historical know-how and in deep mutation to adapt to tomorrow's stakes (testing of new materials, improvement of the life cycle of our existing products and a more global and eco-responsible approach), we have been able to give life to our collections and to give life again to our favorite wool!
French manufacture and local know-how
For each product development, we work with local partners, committed to the renewal of the French textile industry and militating for a more ethical, sustainable and responsible fashion.
After having been selected and collected on the whole Pyrenean massif, the wool we use is sorted, washed and knitted, in the Tarn, as close as possible to the Pyrenees.
Our partner workshops have been awarded the "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant" (Living Heritage Company) or "France Terre Textile" (Textile Land) label, and stand out for their excellent craftsmanship and industrial know-how.
Thanks to our local partnerships of excellence, we can offer you, each year, improvements or enlargements of our collections by working with other types of products and materials in relation with our convictions.
Our commitments
Transparency : We make it a point of honor to ensure complete traceability throughout our production chain. We work exclusively with French intermediaries, located in the South-West, between the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the Tarn. This work of proximity allows us to offer you a fair price, without devaluation of the price through promotional offers, for all: for the consumers and for all the actors evolving on this local production chain. Finally, we only communicate on subjects likely to interest you and on which we think we can bring you our expertise.
Responsible : We wish, as much as possible and on our scale, to limit our impact on the environment while developing/enhancing local partners or local initiatives. Maison Izard is a global project, which is part of a sustainable and committed approach, carried by all: craftsmen, consumers and partners.
To do so, we choose to value local wool and to use exclusively natural or recycled materials for the rest of our collections.
Proximity : We launched the brand 100% digitally and after several short-lived stores that we opened in Pau, we finally managed to set up a permanent store in Pau in August 2022, located at 29 rue des Cordeliers.
We recommend that you come and visit us directly in our store to try our products, get precious maintenance advice or simply discover our world! Otherwise, we are, of course, available to listen to you and advise you online or by telephone. And because your feedback is precious to us, in particular to continue to fully satisfy your expectations and your requests, do not hesitate to send us your remarks, advices or desires (and to send us your pictures with our products!). Maison Izard grows with, and especially thanks to you!
A 100% made in South-West production
