Millet history in 15 key-dates

 

The last 50 years of Millet history in video

 

Presentation

The name Millet became famous in the 1930s when the first shopping bags with shoulder straps appeared. Adapted a few years later into a backpack, the idea quickly catapulted the French brand to the top. The development of technical products for use in the mountain environment gave the brand a strong image, strengthened by the input and backing of the generation’s best mountaineers.

Discover the twists and turns of this extraordinary story.

The beginnings...

 

 

Mr. and Mrs. Marc Millet (the parents of Raymond and René Millet) originally worked for Maréchal oilcloths before founding their own company specializing in the manufacture of bags to hold supplies and haversacks in St Fons in the southern suburbs of Lyon in 1921. At that time the staff counted just 10 people. Seven years later, the company moved to Annecy to be closer to the Alps. The manufacturing workshop grew, the techniques improved, original concepts began to appear and the first backpacks with rigid frames came out in 1934. Then came the first Millet bag collections.

During the Second World War, the Millet brothers participated in the rural Resistance movement, René Millet in Bauges and Raymond Millet in Glières. They continued their parents' business to a certain extent by supplying the Resistance with backpacks. From 1945, the Millet brothers really began to run the company. The following year, René Millet, member of the French Alpine Club in Annecy, had the idea of creating backpacks specially adapted for use in the mountains. It was at this time that he met a young 25-year old alpinist through the Club, who would participate actively in the design of the bags, a certain Louis Lachenal.

The golden age of the ‘50s

 

 

1950 was a turning point in the brand’s history: Millet equipped the first French expeditions to the Himalayas. The spotlight would be definitively turned on the French brand after the conquest of Annapurna. This French ascent of the first summit of over 8,000 meters in history by Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal on 3 June 1950 caused huge excitement. Millet quickly established itself as the leader in the manufacture of mountain backpacks in France, and the reputation of Millet products soon spread worldwide. Major expeditions to the Himalayas continued throughout the decade and the summits of over 8,000 meters were vanquished one after another.

 

The following decade saw the arrival of a great many new products, particularly backpacks, each one as innovative as the next. Millet became the specialist in mountaineering bags. From then on, Millet focused on the mountain environment and constantly strengthened its ties with the milieu

1959 was the year that Raymond Millet met Walter Bonatti, a mountain guide in Courmayeur. Bonatti became the first Millet technical consultant under contract. The slogan "Confiez vos charges à Walter Bonatti" (which could be translated as "Entrust your load to Walter Bonatti") proved to be a real success… For the company, the ‘60s was a decade dedicated to pursuing growth in France and marked the real beginning of international sales. The fame of the French brand had spread like wildfire thanks to the huge interest that mountaineers showed in Millet after the success of the various climbing expeditions.

From 1961 Millet decided to concentrate on innovation and to focus on 2 concepts: In 1964 the two brothers launched a revolutionary backpack strap made entirely of nylon, padded with foam, and seamless. This patent and strap would go round the world several times. For the first time in Europe, Millet launched backpacks made entirely of nylon, making them lighter to carry and waterproof, and replacing the cotton that had, until then, universally been used for this type of article. In this way, Millet set the example that many others would go on to follow.

Despite the myriad of copies and imitations around the world, Millet confirmed its position as leader in the backpack market. Always with the same innovative spirit, patents were registered for its ski-carrying system and tubular straps.

 

 

Millet diversifies

 

In 1975, the company decided to expand and opened a factory in Frontenex in the Savoie region. The year 1977 was another turning point for Millet with the first foray into making clothing for use in the mountains and in particular a range of technically advanced down fillings and the first parka using the new Gore-Tex© fabric. Millet put in place a diversification strategy and extended its activities by launching three clothing lines, one for use at high altitudes, one for hiking and the third for skiing. This diversification was underpinned by the image of the Millet brand, the knowledge of the specific difficulties of the mountains and hiking, and the existence of a solid distribution network. Evidently, this new collection was an instant success.

At the same time, the company continued to surround itself with the most talented alpinists of their generation. The height of this brilliant strategy was surely reached when the Italian Reinhold Messner joined the Millet team. According to their proven recipe, the Millet brothers sponsored Reinhold Messner who, in 1978, was the first man to climb to the summit of Everest without an oxygen mask but with a Millet backpack! The Messner saga continued in 1980 with the first solo ascent of Everest, again without oxygen. Reinhold Messner became the 1st man in the world to have scaled the planet's 14 highest summits.

 

 

The brand’s success reached its peak in the ‘80s with the recognition of the ‘made in France’ quality label. The notoriety of the brand was such that instead of saying ‘a backpack’ people would say ‘a Millet’. This recognition also applied to its technical clothing. Millet used increasingly technical fabrics such as fleece and Gore tex.

 

The buyout by the Lafuma Group

On 6 February 1995, the brands Millet, Racer and Gamet were purchased by Lafuma (Philippe Joffard), leader in the French market for backpacks, Millet having been edged out into second place. In October, Millet formed links with Mac (leader in underclothing for use in the mountains) which had belonged to Lafuma since 1993. In 1996, the links between the two brands were completely established and they merged to form an international-scale company in the outdoor goods sector, under the brand name MILLET, on 1 September 1997.

The second diversification of the Millet brand occurred in the same year in the market for climbing ropes and shoes. The Lafuma Group bought out Rivory and marketed the brand’s products via Millet. In September 1998, the takeover of One Sport (climbing shoes, hiking and mountaineering boots) inaugurated the creation of a technical cell within the Lafuma Group comprising the Millet, Rivory and One Sport brands. Rivory allied itself with Cousin to create the world number 2 in the market for climbing, alpinism, and canyoning ropes. Today the ropes are made by Cousin and distributed under the Millet brand name.

Faithful to its roots, Millet is currently as prolific as ever in its traditional sector of technical products, clothing, backpacks, shoes, and ropes based on its textile expertise. Millet continues to offer each mountaineer, hiker or skier the possibility to kit themselves out from head to toe, a promise that few brands are in a position to make.

60 years of expeditions around the world...

 

      Trilogy Limited GTX JKT

 

1950

Herzog, Lachenal, Terray… Annapurna ( 8078 mètres ), 1er 8000m. Expédition à l’Annapurna / Expédition polaire / Makalu – Himalaya / Expédition polaire / Lionel Terray Chacraraju / Guido Magnone Tour du Mustag / Expédition belge Antarctique / Expédition Polaire / Jannu Himalaya / Expédition Francaise Groenland sud Terre Adelie / Expédition Francaise Causase URSS / Expédition polaire belge / Squaw valley USA / Expédition chinoise Everest / Expédition Hindoue Everest / Expédition Francaise Gouffre Saint Martin / Expédition Lyonnaise Chobuste Himalaya. Expédition belge au Tibesti / Première de l’éperon du pilier du Fresnay / Expédition Francaise au Jannu / Groupe gendarmerie spécialisé haute montagne.

1959

Première hivernale au Cervin / Première hivernale au Grand Charmoses / Expédition Francaise aux Andes du Pérou / Expédition Hollandaise au Nilgiri Himalaya / Expédition Américaine à l’Everest / Expédition Polaire / Première au pilier d’Angle Walter Bonatti / Karakorum expédition / Expédition francaise Annapurna Sud / Expédition francaise Makalu Pilier ouest / Expédition Neo zélandaise au Gerupaya / Expédition espagnole Groenlandia / Expédition espagnole Alaska / Expédition francaise au Pumori / Jaeger et Ceccinel 1ère pointe Lachenal.

1963

Première et deuxième face nord des grandes Jorasses : Bonatti et Desmaison / Première face Ouest Aiguille Carree Desmaison / Expédition Suisse Gao Hoggar / Expédition Francaise Mont Huntington Alaska / Tour Eiffel Guido Magnone et Desmaison / Expedition CAF Lyon Kenya Kilimandjaro / Irish Himalayan Expédition / Expédition canadienne Himalaya / Première hivernale Aconcagua / Expédition Antarctique Belgo Néerlandaise / Groupe de gendarmerie spécialisé haute montagne / Championnat du monde de ski Chili / Expédition Suisse au Caucase / Bonatti première hivernale au Cervin / Expédition Allemande à l’Indoukousch / Fuegian Archipegalo expédition Chile / Desmaison première au Pic de Bure / Expédition Chili / Trivellini première au grandes Jorasses Linceul / Expédition Française au Tahuantinsuyu-i / Expédition Francaise Spitzberg / Championnat du monde au Chili Suisse Italie / France / Expédition Française au Caucase Iranien / Première hivernale du Pilier du Fresnay Desmaison / Première aiguille noire de Peuterey Desmaison / Directissime Face Nord de l’Olan Desmaison / Directissime Ouest Cima Desmaison / Expédition Francaise aux Andes du Pérou / Central African Expédition / Expédition allemande Indukusch / Expédition Autrichienne Cilo Dag Kundfarth / Tony Hiebeler au Caucase / Expéditions Antarticques Belgo Neerlandaise / Expéditions polaires Francaises. Haroun Tazieff Salama Bolivie / Haroun Tazieff Niracongo / Commonwealth Anden Expédition / René Desmaison : Première corne du Chamois / René Desmaison : Première face Nord Ouest de l’Olan / Expédition allemande au Pérou / Expédition Italienne Haut Pamir URSS / Première hivernale éperon Tournier.

1971

Première hivernale face nord directe Chardonnet / Première hivernale couloir Lagarde Sagogne / Nomine : Première solitaire Pilier du Fresnay / Ceccinel et Nomine : Première face sud du Pouce / Remois : Première face sud Mc Kinley / Expédition australienne à l’Indoukousch / Expédition Autrichienne au Spitzberg / Face ouest du Moine Desmaison / Expédition francaise Pilier ouest du FitzRoy / JO Grenoble / Expédition Italienne Afghanistan / Expédition hollandaise Thailande / Desmaison Flematti : Première hivernale Linceul / Expédition italienne Dolomites / Expédition irlandaise au Pérou / Expédition Française au Groenland / Expédition Autrichienne au Spitzberg / Expédition autrichienne au Groenland / Haroun Tazieff volcans Vulcano et Etna / Desmaison première aux Gillardes / Haroun Tazieff désert de l’Afar / Première hivernale aiguille du midi face nord / Expédition francaise à l’Huandoy / Bonatti au Krakatoa Indonesie / Expédition francaise Pyrenéenne au Wakhan, Expédition Franco Suisse Afghanistan / H Tazieff à l’Etna / Expédition allemande Alaska Brook Range / Expédition belge au gouffre berger / Expédition Suisse au Cilo Sat Dag / Expédition Francaise au Groenland Ouest / Annapurna south face expédition / Première hivernale directe de l’Eiger Suisse / Expédition Francaise au Naltar Peak / Tazieff à l’Etna / Maillard au Spitzberg / Annapurna Himalaya / Alpamayo Cordillières de Andes / Chautkamba Himalaya / L’huanstan Pérou / Are Oalo : JO / Gouffre Berger 1122 m / Makalu Himalaya / Expédition Suisse à l’Indoukousch / H Tazieff Afar Ethiopie / Expédition Française au Caucase Yves Pollet Villard / Expédition cap Perou Apolobance / Desmaison : Première aiguille du Plate / Desmaison Premier Pic de Bure avec Mazeaud / Walter Ceccinel au Hoggar 73 / R Desmaison première paroi des Voutes / Walter Ceccinel Premier couloir de Drus / Expédition japonaise à l’Everest / Expédition francaise à l’Everest / Expédition française au Tirich Mir II / Expédition maconnaise au Perou / Expédition italienne Caucaso Centrale / Expédition francaise Lyon Premier 8000 / Expédition Française Nanda Devi / Expedition francaise au Pamir / Expédition francaise au Cholaste / Première Hivernale au Fou Flematti / Tazieff Mission Etna.

1978

Reinhold Messner Première ascension du versant de Rupal au Nanga Parbat / Messner Première dans la face sud du Manaslu / Messner Premier 8000 en style alpin Le Hidden Peak / Messner face sud du Dhaulagiri Himalaya / R Messner Everest 8848 mètres, première sans oxygène / Nanga Parbat par une nouvelle voie en solitaire / R Messner ascension du K2 sans oxygène en technique alpine / Everest par la face chinoise en solitaire / Messner Shishapangma / R Messner 3 X 8000 Gasherbrum II Broad Peak Kanchenjunga / Christophe Profit première en solo de la directissime américaine aux Drus en 3 h 30 / Messner Cho Oyu en style alpin / Jean Noel Roche et Zebulon Jannu Arête Sud Ouest / René Desmaison face sud Chacraraju / Messner : traversée du Gasherbrum II au Gasherbrum I / C Profit : Peuterey et l’Hyper couloird du Brouillard au Mont Blanc (premières) / JJ et M Rolland au Broad Peak sans oxygène / Eric Escoffier : Gasherbrum I et II + K2 premier enchainement de 3 plus de 8000 / Messner ascension de l’Annapurna et du Daulaghiri.

1985

C. Profit Première trilogie été 3 face nord Cervin Eiger Jorasses / Eric Escoffier Shishapangma première ascension française / Messner Makalu et Lothse / Profit première trilogie hiver (3 faces nord Cervin Eiger Jorasses) / Marc Batard Première traversée du Makalu sans oxygène en solitaire et en 18 heures / Cho Oyu en 19 heures avec Sundare Sherpa / Everest sans oxygène en 22 h 29 / JN Roche et Zebulon traversée des Alpes / T Cesen Face nord Jannu / E Escoffier Everest turbo / JN Roche et Zebulon Huscaran / Messner traversée Antarctique / Everest 1990 Marc Batard ascension en moins de 22 h / Everest

1990

Jean Noel et Bertrand Roche Zebulon le plus jeune vainqueur du toit du monde à 17ans.

To be continued...