Inside the Lemahieu factory, specializing in underwear production, in Saint-André-lez-Lille, France, June 5, 2025. FLORENT MOREAU/VOIX DU NORD/MAXPPP
"It's nice, but it's so expensive!" Behind the wooden counter of Le Bazar Français, located on Rue Saint-Placide in Paris's 6th arrondissement, Claire Gandini often hears "Oh là!" and "€350, that's too much," which customers frequently "say out loud" before leaving empty-handed. For those who stay, Juliette d'Incamps, founder of this shop specializing in French-made products, explains "without getting upset" that customers are not there "to save money," but rather to make "a meaningful purchase, choosing a product that's less polluting" than imported items and "to support craftsmanship, good working conditions and retirement rights." But the entrepreneur admits, "'Made in France' is a nightmare."
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Despite the success of the MIF Expo, the Made in France trade fair, which is set to bring together 1,000 manufacturers and attract 110,000 visitors in Paris from November 6 to 9, as it did in 2024, French clothing manufacturers are struggling. The "post-pandemic world" envisioned during the Covid-19 crisis in 2020, where consumers "would buy less but buy better," and where the government would support the French textile sector? "None of that has happened," lamented Jérôme Permingeat, co-head of the Breton brand Le Minor.
