Established in the middle of the 19th century, Mégisserie Richard was a branch of the larger Richard Glove Factory (Ganterie Richard) with task to manufacture its supply of high quality tanned and dyed leather from raw hides, necessary to make world renowned luxury gloves. In 1960, anticipating a slow down in the glove business, the company turns its dedication toward new outlets: lambskins for garments, which are becoming fashionable, for bags and shoes.
Since 2006, under the initiative of the current managing director Xavier Richard, the newly rebuilt factory (redesigned to meet high environmental and safety standards) enables higher and more streamlined productivity. Meanwhile the focus is to continue to meet of all the excellence standards that brought the initial tannery’s fame and high demand with high end customers. Mégisserie Richard is one of very few manufacturors in the world to meet these expectations.
Mégisserie Richard obtains the certification label Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV) in 2013. It is a recognition from the French State of companies with artisanal and industrial savoir-faire.
Chanel company becomes major shareholder of the company in 2016.
In 2021, Mégisserie Richard is certified with Bronze medal from Leather Working Group (LWG), then Silver medal in 2023. It rewards Mégisserie Richard for all its hard work regarding environment and sustainability.
The production’s purpose is to transform raw hides into tanned, coloured refined leather which will in turn be used to create high end goods for the luxury industry : bags, shoes, garments and accessories.
Specialized in soft leather, Mégisserie Richard works specifically on quality lambskins originating from a few select places such as “Aveyron” (south of France) and Entrefinos (Spain).
These skins are mostly treated nappa (the famous “plongé”).
For many years, and still today, the trade has continued to research ways to reduce the time to manufacture, as well as develop new processes to meet customers specifications : increase leather resistance, set, meet and exceed international standards, while always preserving the traditional leather quality. The production is now restricted to about 4 weeks depending on the desired type of leather: classic, crushed, pearly, mat, shiny etc...