La Nénette, this cotton fringe with a red plastic handle impregnated with polishing liquid, has stood the test of time. Made in France since 1947, it is the ally of many car enthusiasts. Discover the story of this mythical product “made in France” which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
It’s an accessory that every car enthusiast knows: the Nénette ! This designer accessory old school turns 75. The opportunity to retrace its history to remember that it is not dead.
A product from Lyon
Designed in 1947 by Henri Richaud in Villeurbanne, a town bordering Lyon, the Nénette has never really changed. The famous “brush” has the particularity of having “cotton fringes impregnated with Nénétol”. This product, patented by the company, is a polishing liquid that captures dust and shines both the bodywork and the dashboard. The red handle, another specificity of the product, only appeared in 1959. It is to designer Philippe Charbonneaux, one of the creators of the Renault 8, that we owe this adaptation.
The name “Nénette” comes from an old… male first name! It was the creation of two woolen dolls in 1913, Nénette and Rintintin, which propelled this name into popular culture. Indeed, during the First World War, these mascots served as lucky charms for soldiers who went to the front. The Nénette name will then remain in people’s minds and will be taken over by the company.
A product always “made in France”
The recipe works since the production of Nénette was established in the Lyon region until 1988. It was then taken over by the Olivier company, a small company specializing in sponges and cleaning until 2012. this date that the production of Nénette accelerated with the takeover of the subsidiary by the SME Chimitex. This became the Compagnie du Midi in 2015. “ Transferred to Carros in the Alpes-Maritimes, the production continues to be produced in an artisanal way on its loom before being assembled by our seamstresses. », explains the brand.
Today, Nénette continues to promote manufacturing quality and ” made in France ». It sells around 100,000 units a year. ” The real Nenette » as indicated on their official website, is therefore celebrating its 75th birthday but is not ready to leave its place on the market for polishing products which has become hypercompetitive.
