Why it belongs in ORBIS
French knitwear house founded in 1889 in the Normandy town of Saint-James near Mont-Saint-Michel bay, grown from Leon Legallais's 1850 wool-spinning mill; its ribbed mariniere was designed for sailors and fishermen.
Saint James takes its name from the Normandy town of Saint-James, near Mont-Saint-Michel bay, where the business traces to 1850, when Leon Legallais, the town's mayor, founded a spinning mill called Moulin du Prieur. In 1889 the workshop became the Societe Anonyme des Filatures de Saint-James and produced its first defining garment: a tightly knit wool sweater designed for sailors and fishermen. Saint James has been designated an 'Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant' (Living Heritage Company) by the French state, recognising the brand's continued in-house knitting expertise.