HISTORY
“We master our craft and set a mood, graced with a tradition of over a century.”
For five generations, we have been dedicated to crafted woven wallcoverings of the highest standard, following an authentic path that began in 1889. Our family business, all this time based in The West of Flanders in Belgium, is therefore an established name within a region where the flax flowers used to blossom, where the stems lay out to dry in the sunny fields and the fibres were spun into yarn.
It all started in Waregem in 1889, when Gustave Mahieu, with the appropriate bravery, founded Tissage Mahieu. Only six years later, he could already rely on an equipped atelier in the Posterijstraat, where he specialised in the craftsmanship of our exceptional pure linen from finely spun yarn. By then, our focus was on extra-wide sheets, which were in demand by partners in fashion or to create luxurious curtains. Already, the functioning of our atelier was continuously optimised, with an additional wing where our linen could be steamed according to contemporary methods. It should therefore come as no surprise that we have always stayed here, rooted in the cradle of high-quality European textiles.
Later on, in between the two World Wars, Gustaaf Mahieu faithfully continued the craft of his father and diversified our production to include quality bed linen, curtains, and kitchen towels, while supplying neighbouring furniture manufacturers with their fabrics. The esteem with which we worked and progressed was both genuine and cordial and created a favourable condition from which, in 1950, the brothers Harry and John Mahieu could proceed. They persisted in our mission, but most importantly laid an essential foundation for what we are today, with the initiation of crafted linen laminated on a non-woven base, to be deployed for high-quality wallcoverings.
This brings us close to today, more specifically to the end of last century, when Xavier Mahieu, son of John, spread our passion for carefully crafted textiles far beyond national borders. To his credit, our specialisation of exceptional wallcoverings, both in linen, cotton, polyester, and silk, blossomed as never before and became favoured among customers who put beauty and quality first. He experimented with different types of yarn, drawing on all the expertise and know-how accumulated throughout our company's history. He introduced the exceptional crafted quality for which we are still known and sought after worldwide.
For some time now, Xavier has been supported by his daughter, Michèle Mahieu, who has since been working on the inspired designs of our current and upcoming collections, adding a fresh and present-day touch. Later, she was joined by her sister Ann-Gaëlle Mahieu and her husband Guillaume Delfosse who contribute to our production, the distribution of our quality and to the personal relationships with clients, partners, and enthusiasts, always mindful of the challenges ahead. Together, they ensure that Xavier Mahieu, respectively their father and father-in-law, is as such surrounded by a dedicated, fifth generation and that Tissage Mahieu's established name remains future-proof.