Nearly two centuries of fabrics

David Dickson

In 1833, David Dickson, a young mill owner, left his Scottish birth land to set up business in the North of France. His project was to create the first spinning mill for linen in France. It was in 1836 that his project was fulfilled, in Coudekerque and in partnership with Celestin Malo.
In 1840, the company took off by combing weaving to the spinning activity. The two partners targeted the market of canvasses used for ship sails and invented new processes to prevent canvasses from rotting in contact with sea water. .
In 1909, the company Dickson became a supplier for the National Defence for collapsible tents and tarpaulin. It continued this activity until 1945, when, for the first time, artificial textiles were introduced.

Eugène Constant cloth mill

Created in Lille in 1913, the Constant weaving outfit was specialised in producing cotton canvasses and then polyester fabrics for blinds, awnings, and tents.

The birth of a textiles group

1969 was the date of a joint venture between Dickson, the technical industrial company, and Constant, a high quality weaving specialist. The synergy resulting from this venture gave birth to the company Dickson-Constant, a major player on the blind fabrics market. At this time there were 3 industrial sites (two in the North of France and one in the Isère region). In the 1980s a fourth site in the Ain region joined the company. Under the leadership of Thierry Constant, the four sites were organised as a group and the company Dickson-Constant became one of the market leaders. In 1998, the Dickson group joined the American textile group, Glen Raven.

From a district in Roubaix to Wasquehal