Fashion & Design

Textiles and clothing, luxury goods, accessories, leather goods, shoes, eyewear, jewellery, watches, costume jewellery, and beauty (perfumes & cosmetics)

The "Fashion & Design" field brings together a multitude of industries ranging from clothing to accessories, including beauty and watchmaking, not to mention the entire luxury industry. What do they have in common? They've embodied French know-how for several decades, represent the French Art de Vivre and contribute to France's international influence.

Today, Paris remains the undisputed capital of fashion, luxury and beauty. But to maintain this leadership, players in these sectors must accelerate their digitalisation across the entire value chain, and take CSR stakes into consideration in order to meet consumers' new expectations, in search of meaning and of products that respect the environment.

Key figures

€154 billion is the turnover in France of the fashion and luxury sector (clothing and shoes, leather goods, beauty, jewelry...), representing 1,7% of GDP and more than 600,000 direct and indirect jobs.
France is the world's leading player in Fashion and Luxury. 1% of global luxury sales are made by French companies.
Sales volume in the fashion sector has declined by 1,3% in France by 2025, a decrease that reaches 2,7% for in-store sales.
Second-hand fashion represents €6,8 billion in turnover in 2023 (+17% compared to 2022).
There are 2 companies in the French clothing industry, employing 500 people in France and more than 32 abroad.
France is the world's leading exporter of beauty products. Cosmetic manufacturing represents a turnover of €36 billion, of which €20 billion is from exports, making beauty the second largest French export sector.

Industry trends

Profound changes in consumer behavior, particularly among Millennials and Generation Z: new values and new expectations, explosion of digital and social networks, slowdown in consumption ("consume less but better"), growing consumer expectations regarding the integration of CSR issues, rise of second-hand goods.
Profound changes in consumer behavior, particularly among Millennials and Generation Z: new values and new expectations, explosion of digital and social networks, slowdown in consumption ("consume less but better"), growing consumer expectations regarding the integration of CSR issues, rise of second-hand goods.
A distribution that is becoming hybrid: if digital remains a crucial purchasing channel, consumers are expecting omnichannel experiences, calling for a reinvention of physical stores into more experiential places.
Brands must now master cultural activation, by merging storytelling, recognizable aesthetics and community mobilization.
The mid-range segment is particularly vulnerable; many historic retail brands are experiencing significant difficulties.
A market particularly sensitive to the context of inflation, which often constitutes an adjustment variable in terms of consumption.
The rise of “made in France” as a guarantee of quality to justify a higher pricing policy.
Ultrafast fashion is putting increasing pressure on the entire fashion and apparel sector, imposing accelerated production rates and fierce competition on price and responsiveness.