From Guillaume Desmurs As the second manufacturer to use GORE-TEX fabrics, Millet has always known how to make the most of the fabric, and Gore knows how to draw on the French brand’s mountaineering expertise. When I refer to this special link between the two brands, faces light up with big smiles. Because this is not only about the history of the brands, but also, and above all, about personal adventures, meeting people and having things in common. Edouard Frignet was head of Gore’s textiles division until 2014 and he recalls that in 1979, when he launched the GORE-TEX fabric in France, only two brands had agreed to sign up with him: Anoralp and Millet. At that time this revolutionary fabric was unknown to the general public and its waterproof qualities and breathability was barely starting to win over the top mountain-climbers. Yet it was through them that it all began. In fact, at the time, the high altitude stars got what they needed from Millet, clothing made in Annecy, Rue de France. “This was an international community who talked to each other a lot and the Americans told the French about this new fabric which gave unbelievable results. It was Millet’s technical advisors who suggested trying it”, remembers Edouard. 
“Protecting and keeping safe those practising outdoor sports while allowing them to excel in what they do… with the innovation, vision and pioneering spirit of people who want to improve their practise is the DNA we shared then and still share today”, says Frédéric Fages, Millet’s brand manager, adding “we were made for each other!” Let us go back forty years. At that time, waterproof breathable membranes were not available in shops. What seems obvious to us today was the stuff of science fiction in 1979. “At the time people were using jackets made of coated nylon or very thick cotton with reinforcements on the shoulders. The problem was condensation from sweat which did not evaporate and led to cold”, explains Edouard. So this membrane was a miracle solution for mountaineers, sportsmen and women subjected to particularly harsh conditions and on the lookout for the slightest innovation. Incidentally, Reinhold Messner kitted himself out at Millet and in GORE-TEX products to climb in the Himalayas at the very end of the 1970s. “Eric Escoffier’s and Christophe Profit’s three layer Alpine suits were in GORE-TEX fabric”, adds Frédéric Fages, “It’s just behind me (on a mannequin, with its very bright colours, in the meeting room at Millet’s head office in Annecy, [author’s note]). There is no other subcontractor with whom we have worked for such a long time! ».
The first product developed with Millet was “a quilted down jacket. It was sewn into the material, it was very thick, I think the jacket was called Annapurna”, recalls Edouard Frignet, “I still have one at home! There was no proofing or seal, users were offered a glue to seal the stitching over the top … it wasn’t durable, it was makeshift!”. It was a long way from the fine, pleasant, laminated and completely waterproof fabric we know today! Furthermore, GORE-TEX products were available only in “French Blue”, so all the mountaineers thought that GORE-TEX products had to be blue; this was before other colours were introduced. Then, around 1983/1984, Gore introduced sealed seams to prevent water penetrating through the stitches and Millet was one of the first garment factories to work with these seam sealing machines. There then followed a long succession of innovations incorporated into the Millet ranges like the celebrated GORE-TEX Pro or the Windstopper® technology. 
The Millet/Gore duo worked very well from the start. They could not but understand each other: a component supplier who needed to send his material to be tested by the most adventurous mountain climbers, and a brand seeking the best in order to design an innovative product. “Millet has always been at the forefront for new products, they have always followed us on anything that was different. That was fairly unbelievable by the way!”, Edouard tells us, “They offered our products in a very exclusive manner, for a small circle of users, and this was very top-of-the-range, very technical. Initially, it wasn’t even sold in shops. Millet was truly our mountaineering emblem”. “Gore chooses the brands it collaborates with and approves suppliers of the finished product just like the factories”, explains Frédéric Fages, “there is a mastery, between Gore and Millet, of the whole production chain, which can only result in a product of excellence. Gore is one of the very few brands to guarantee durability, quality and protection. It has even gone further by educating the end user about the advantages of the waterproof, breathable membrane.” 
Over and above each of their interests, over and above their shared ambitions and desire for innovation, there has always been mutual trust between Gore and Millet. “We have always put our trust in Millet for our new products and they have always been there for us”, Edouard tells us, “this is a gold star customer, very technical, always keen and ready to go there. Millet has been major customer for us because of its solid base in the world of climbing, mountaineering and hiking. They have given us technical legitimacy because there are no compromises with them. I remember the constant comings and goings to improve the seal, the style, the durability with washing, the flexibility and effectiveness of the construction.” The story continues today, for Gore is the favoured component of Millet’s Trilogy range, the core of its knowledge and expertise. “We incorporate Gore’s latest innovations, those with best weight/ /protection/durability ratio, on our most innovative and highest performing three layer constructions taken to be tested in extreme conditions”, concludes Frédéric Fages. Mountains do not change and mountain-climbing is always a story of people roped together…
