For over 175 years, Drouault has been shaping sleep through unique industrial and artisanal expertise, rooted in Le Mans. At a time when brands are being asked to refocus on the essentials, Drouault has chosen to revisit its positioning and its territory of expression in order to better reveal what makes it unique.
This groundwork was entrusted to the Voilà le Topo agency, with a clear ambition: to translate the heritage, actions and values of the manufacturer into a coherent, sensitive and sustainable brand universe. This is how the Manufacture des rêves® (Dream Factory) was born, a promise faithful to Drouault’s history and focused on the future.
Morgan Ravallec
David, before starting work on Drouault’s positioning with the Agency, we felt it was essential to reaffirm its history.
Can you tell us what the company is today and where its roots lie?
David Burnel
Drouault is a French company founded in 1850, based in Le Mans since the early 20th century. Originally, our business was very specific: the industrial processing of feathers and down from slaughterhouses. A natural material that, without our intervention, would have been considered waste.
Over time, the company has evolved with changing customs and needs. In the 1920s, we manufactured quilts, then duvets in the 1970s, and then pillows. But at every stage, there has always been the same guiding principle: innovation in the service of well-being and sleep, with that very French desire to pass on the art of sleeping well.
Getting back to basics in a world saturated with discourse
Morgan Ravallec
When you joined Drouault, you wanted to undertake a thorough review of the company’s positioning. Why was that important at that particular time?
David Burnel
Because we live in a world of excessive discourse. Brands talk a lot, sometimes too much, and end up muddying their message. To be heard today, you have to focus on the essentials: your core business, your real expertise, what makes you unique.
The primary objective was therefore to build a comprehensive corporate project. To return to our fundamentals, our expertise, our history. To restore pride to our teams, to put them back on the path to success, by valuing manual dexterity, skill and a job well done.
And then, of course, it was necessary to convey all of this accurately, without exaggeration, through sincere storytelling that could convey the passion for the craft and that element of dream that makes a Drouault product unlike any other.
Enhancing materials, respecting heritage
Morgan Ravallec
What struck us right from the start was the richness of your value chain. Can you tell us more about this very special expertise in feathers and down?
David Burnel
Our primary expertise lies in enhancing a material that comes from the food industry. Ducks and geese are not raised for their feathers, but for their meat or liver. We collect what would otherwise be discarded and give it a second life.
Next comes all the refinement work: washing, drying and carefully sorting to obtain high-quality down and feathers. Finally, there is the filling stage, which involves combining these materials to create balanced, durable and comfortable pillows and duvets.
It is a complete chain, controlled from start to finish. And that is precisely what we wanted to put back at the heart of the discussion.
The birth of Manufacture des rêves®
Morgan Ravallec
This work gave rise to the promise of the Manufacture des rêves®. How was this territory received internally?
David Burnel
With great emotion. When we began to present this territory, both sensitively and very concretely, the employees recognised themselves. They said, “Yes, that’s our company.”
And once that emotion is shared, both internally and externally, we’ve already won. Not just commercially, but in terms of consistency, pride and meaning. The language has become commonplace. The teams have embraced this promise because it reflects their everyday reality.
Premium, but never elitist
Morgan Ravallec
We worked extensively together on the distinction between luxury and premium. Why was this a key point for you?
David Burnel
Because premium is often confused with luxury. However, our ambition has never been to target an elite clientele. For us, being premium means offering the best possible product at a given price.
If someone buys a duvet for £130 from Drouault, they should have the best duvet possible for that price. Our mission is to make as many people as possible dream, not just those who can afford products costing several thousand pounds.
Dreams should not be reserved for the few. They must be accessible, sincere, and justified by quality, experience, and service.
People at the heart of the company
Morgan Ravallec
This positioning also places a strong emphasis on people. What role do teams play in this vision?
David Burnel
We have around 150 employees. From the person who processes the feathers to the person who fills the pillows, from the seamstresses to the sales teams, everyone is part of the same team.
Entering Drouault is not a trivial matter. There is a wealth of history, but also a responsibility towards the future. We are a Living Heritage Company, which means we must preserve, innovate and pass on our heritage.
Humility is one of our core values. We are experts, yes, but experts who know that the profession must be learned and passed on, and that we must remain humble in order to remain fair.
A brand territory designed to last
Morgan Ravallec
La Manufacture des rêves® is not a one-off campaign, but a long-term project. How do you see the future unfolding?
David Burnel
This territory is rooted in the long term. It is not a question of multiplying statements, but of making them coherent and impactful. Sharing our expertise, our professions, our value chain, without ever betraying reality.
Bringing this region to life also means accepting that it will develop gradually and sensibly. What matters is sincerity and continuity.
A vision faithful to history, focused on the future
Morgan Ravallec
If you had to summarise what Manufacture des rêves® represents today, what would you say?
David Burnel
This is the contemporary expression of what Drouault has been since 1850. A company that respects its past without remaining stuck in it. That innovates without denying its heritage. That considers sleep to be an art, and that everyone deserves to never again spend a night without dreams.
