At the company barracks in Grasse, they continue to wear blue, of course. Rigor of the uniform, gendarmes oblige. But in recent weeks, a pink badge (a roundel, in military jargon) has been grafted onto their broad shoulders, in support of the Pink October movement to fight cancer.
The gendarmerie banner, the sheep, totem of the City of Grasse, the mountains of its pre-Alps, the royal lily, the centifolia rose and jasmine, all the symbolic elements of the usual rondache are there, but in a version “pink.”
Not a coincidence. Not only because although they are police officers, these “pink soldiers” are no less sensitive men to a good cause. But also because this illness affected someone close to the company commander, Mathieu Jarnigon.
Around 200 badges were produced and put up for sale
The idea was therefore to participate in this national mobilization. It remained to make it a reality, despite the administrative constraints and the duty of reserve imposed on “the great mute.”
Our blues from Grasse freed themselves from this via two men: Florian Boyer, reservist gendarme, who used his skills in graphics and events, and Ervann Roy, president of the gendarmerie festival committee, an association through which the sale of the rondaches could be carried out.
Around 200 badges were produced by the Broderie and co company in Cagnes-sur-Mer. In total, 580 euros were collected for the benefit of the departmental league against cancer, led by its director Aline Baratoux during the check presentation within the barracks itself. On the parade ground, because defeating this disease is more than ever a fight.
“One in 8 women suffers from breast cancer”
“A few years ago, one in 12 women had breast cancer, we have increased to one in 8 women and soon one in 7 womenunfortunately notes Aline, who points to tobacco, alcohol, junk food, pesticides and endocrine disruptions among the causes of this unjust and indiscriminate scourge. In our department, only 37% of women aged 50 and over will be screened, even though they benefit from a free procedure. It’s a shame, because if caught in time, breast cancer has a 90% chance of being cured.” And the sick now know that in this ordeal, they can also count on the Grasse gendarmes to support them. Their pink roundel bears witness to this.
90% embroidered
On the crest, a sheep, flowers, a pomegranate… but not the name of the official embroiderer of the Grasse company.
In Cagnes-sur-Mer, Broderie an co, avenue de Grasse, is an institution in this area. “We created our family company in 2001, because there was demand and little supply,” relates Benoit Desormeaux, supported by his parents. After Vence and the MIN in Nice (they were forced to move), the family settled near Polygone Riviera.
“But it’s mainly word of mouth that works: we don’t do too much advertising. At the beginning, we only did embroidery, and one thing led to another, we started making badges.”
From an already finalized graphic design, the programmer orchestrates the embroidery on the Tajima machines. Firefighters, gendarmes, municipal police officers from all over France have become regular customers, notably the Châteaulin gendarmerie school, each year of which contributes to a textile bestiary, via their totem animal (wolf, dragon, cobra, shark, etc.).
Pink October? “We have a lot of demand, we had to stock up on pink fabric, but also blue, because the mustachioed Movember people also want their badges!”
