It all began in November 1945 with just one sewing machine in the kitchen of husband and wife team, Florent De Corte and Anna Cobbaut. The company “De Corte-Cobbaut” was born and the clothes bore the brand name “La Samaritaine”. In the early years, the company made so-called “linen ware” an umbrella term that included shirts and pyjamas. It was not long before the first employees were recruited.

In 1948, they moved to a new building at their current location, which has since been expanded several times.

At the end of the 1950s, the company decided to specialise in uniform shirts. The one-man firm, which by then had 25 employees, expanded to become a company with limited liability, and adopted its current name, “Elanco Confectiebedrijven”. Hedwige De Corte took over her parents’ business in 1982, together with her husband, Aimé Haenebalcke. The company continued to thrive and expand both technically and commercially. Elanco Confectiebedrijven became a public limited company in 1989. The firm has been led by their children, Peter and Liesbeth Haenebalcke since 1999. The one-man business of yesteryear now has more than 50 employees who strive to deliver top-quality shirts and blouses every day.