Libeco  Libeco is a Belgian textile company which manufactures and distributes linen and linen products. The company grew out of the merger of Libeco and Lagae on 2 June 1997. The head office is located in Meulebeke in a region of Flanders, Belgium, which is known for its flax culture and textile industry. Victor Lagae founded, together with Louis Carton, a company specialized in handkerchief linens and batiste, in the city of Kortrijk in 1858. From the farms in the surroundings of the city, the woven linen would be transported by cart to their warehouse, situated close to the train station. After the retiring of Louis Carton, Victor Lagae continued on his own. When he died in 1898, his widow remarried with a French engineer, Maurice Hallot. For a short while, the linen of the factory would go under the name "Hallot-Martin". At the turning of the century, the company added linen-cotton and pure cotton handkerchief linen to its collection. In 1910, Maurice handed over the firm to both sons of Victor: Georges and Alfred. The company name changed to "Georges et Alfred Lagae". In 1937 Joseph Lagae, son of Georges, joined the company, which was then renamed to "Lagae Linens". After they bought the mill of "De Gryse Weavers" in Meulebeke, Lagae would start weaving their own fine linen. Due to heavy bombing by allied forces during World War II, the company lost all its archives and office buildings. In 1960 the company built a new mill in Meulebeke. Like Victor Lagae, entrepreneur Paul Libeert saw an opportunity in opening a trade company of linens, situated near the station of Kortrijk. He founded "Libeert & Cie" in 1864 and aimed to buy and sell the heavier variants of linen. The company bought linen from the cottage industry in the regions of Sint-Eloois-Winkel and Meulebeke and brought everything to a central warehouse in Kortrijk. By the end of the century, the company studied the possibilities of weaving their own fabrics. In 1905, Albert Libeert succeeded his father as director of the company. He introduced mechanization in the mill, by installing steam powered looms. By the end of World War I the mill counted over 140 looms. At that point demand of high quality linen was high, especially in South America, which eventually became the company's largest export market in that period .