Ansi | PGT, a family business story

Back in the 60s, Renaat De Sutter started with the production of pyjamas and aprons. A decade later, as jeans trousers made their appearance in the wide consumer market, Renaat didn’t hesitate to jump on this fashion product. Today, Ansi | PGT is run by his sons Peter and Kristof De Sutter. In this blogpost, Kristof will tell you more about the history and evolution of their industrial family business.  

1963: The very start in Belgium

“In 1963, my father Renaat started a production company of pyjamas and aprons. After that Levi’s was successfully pioneering in the marketing of the very first jeans trousers, consequently one of our largest clients asked if we could produce such jeans trousers as well. So, in the early 70s, we also started with the production of jeanswear in Belgium.”

1976: production unit in Tunisia

“Due to price pressure and the high labour cost in Belgium in those days, my father decided to move the production site and started a sewing unit in Tunisia, renowned for its qualitative denim production. Our commercial and logistic service center stayed in Belgium. To this day, our offices are located in Aalter.”

It’s remarkable to see that anyone who starts in jeanswear, remains in the business. Peter and myself almost literally grew up between denim trousers and got both passionate about the garment and its look and feel.
- Kristof De Sutter

“In the early 90s, the stonewashed and garment dyed jeans were very popular, so we invested in our own washing factory in Aalter. During this period, my brother Peter and myself also joined the company. In 1997, fashion designers began massively to integrate the so-called used effects in their jeanswear collections. As this production technique required a lot of manpower, we moved the washing factory to Tunisia as well.”

Focus on mid- and high-end brands

“Over the years, we shifted to mid- and high-end, and even premium brands. We are focused on our clients’ needs and the constant evolution in our business, both in terms of the fashion trends and the industrial process. As being conscious about some significant environmental impact to produce a pair of good jeans, we choose for innovative washing machinery with renewing techniques and sustainable procedures as laser, ozone and nanobubble treatments.  We were of the first industrial companies to move its production to Tunisia and it’s our responsibility to maintain our position as a pioneer.”

Do you want to know more about our company?
Have a look at our Ansi | PGT company page and find out more!