The men's ready-to-wear market - France

1.2 A growing global market

The global men's ready-to-wear market was estimated at $***.* billion in ****. The market is forecast to grow at a CAGR (***) of *.**% to reach $***.* billion in ****.

Global men's ready-to-wear market size World, ****-****, in billions of US dollars Source: ****

Growth in the global men's ready-to-wear market is mainly driven by the boom in Asian markets, particularly China and India. However, North America and Europe have the two largest shares of the global market.

Global demand for men's clothing is increasing worldwide, driven by a growing interest in fashion and an increased focus on personal appearance. The rise of e-commerce and increased purchasing power are prompting men to spend more on clothes, favoring online shopping for its convenience, time-saving and diversity of options. High-end brands such as Ralph Lauren, Burberry and Armani are expanding their offer with ranges dedicated entirely to men[***].

A growing commitment to the environment has led to the emergence of eco-friendly garments made from organic materials. Finally, the growing influence of social media and aggressive marketing strategies, such as the use of celebrities, festive sales and promotional discounts, are also contributing to market growth. In fact, the digitalization of the market is strong and continues to strengthen, both through the ...

1.3 A fragile national market with strong potential

The French apparel market was set to grow in ****, according to the annual report of the Institut Français de la Mode (***). In comparison, **** saw an *.*% increase over ****[***].

In economic terms, the men's ready-to-wear market in France is of considerable importance, accounting alone for around **% of total clothing sales in the country[***]. With the clothing market estimated to be worth **.* billion euros in ****, it's safe to say that the men's ready-to-wear market will be worth *.* billion euros in ****.

In the same year, the men's sector saw the biggest increase in sales, up **.*%.

sales trends by product type France, **** vs ****, as % of total sales Source: ****

These figures show a positive trend, particularly for specialty chains, with notable growth in shopping malls and a sharp increase in activity in the Paris region. The growth in textile and clothing sales is mainly driven by increased sales in department stores (***).

However, the fashion sector has seen a series of negative news stories, with brands such as Camaïeu, San Marina and Kookaï struggling. The apparent growth of **** is in fact misleading, as sales by value are still *.*% lower than in ****, despite an average price increase of *%.

In ****, the purchase of new clothes is expected to ...

1.4 International trade largely driven by imports

Unfortunately, import and export figures for men's ready-to-wear are not available, so we're going to look at imports and exports in the clothing sector, which includes the men's ready-to-wear segment. This will enable us to identify the main trends and the most important trading partners.

Exports:

In ****, French clothing exports reached **.** billion euros, marking an increase of **% compared to ****. Compared to ****, these figures represent growth of **%.

More than half of French clothing exports, **.*%, were destined for the **-nation European Union, totaling *.* billion euros, an increase of **% on the previous year. Exports to non-EU countries also grew significantly, by **% to *.** billion euros. Among these non-EU exports, Asia accounted for a significant share, capturing *.** billion euros, an increase of **% on the previous year.

Main buyers of French clothing by value World, ****, € billion Source: ****

Italy maintains its position as the leading customer for French clothing, as in ****, with a **% increase in value. It is closely followed by Spain and Germany, with increases of **% and **% respectively. Then there is a moderate increase in Chinese orders, a situation attributed to the local context of the previous year. However, it is important to note that from **** to ****, amounts increased from *** million to *.** billion euros.

The United States ...

2.1 Specific characteristics of male customers: utilitarian and prepared purchases

The apparel market is predominantly geared towards female customers. In fact, more than half of all sales by value are to women customers, not men.

Share of apparel market sales by customer type France, ****, in Source: ****

Only *% of French men claim to have a taste for shopping, and **% are not at all keen on shopping in ****. However, on average, men spend more than women in all age categories.

Average monthly shopping budget by gender and age category France, ****, in € Source: ****

Although men buy fewer items, they tend to be more expensive. On average, men make one clothing purchase per month, spending around ** euros on two items, mainly jeans and sweaters. These purchases are made both in stores and shopping malls and online, with a less marked tendency among men to try on clothes before buying. They also allow themselves extras, generally for less than * euros[***].

However, men seem traditionally less interested in fashion and clothes, which is confirmed by the fact that men buy less in quantity. Men justify this lack of interest by the fact that they have no time and find the activity boring. Many lament that they can't find what they want when they go shopping, and that ...

2.2 Detailed consumer behavior: loyalty and simplicity

Where do they buy? security and loyalty

Consistent with the predominantly utilitarian purpose of their purchases, men generally favor security. They tend to trust the big brands, stick to products they know, and opt for simple, easy-to-match pieces [***].

In fact, **% choose the most renowned brands when looking for a fashion item or accessory[***]. What's more, when they're satisfied with a brand or product, they have a strong tendency to remain loyal to it.

The graph below shows men's favorite ready-to-wear brands, according to an OpinionWay survey carried out in March ****. It does not ask about all brands (***), but covers a large part of the ready-to-wear landscape in France.

Men's favorite ready-to-wear brands France, ****, in Source: ****

Men's favorite brand is Celio, with **.*% of men saying they like it, followed by Jules (***).

What do they buy? simplicity and basics

Men prefer classic or sober outfits (***). What's more, **% of men favor sobriety in their choice of outfit, but sometimes allow themselves a little less in the way of ordinary colors, while a few colors are welcome for **% of men. Only *% of men say they opt for fantasy and color combinations.

Men's preferred outfits France, ****, in Source: ****

This taste for sobriety is confirmed by men's ...

2.3 Demand drivers

Buying criteria

Price is by far the most important criterion for ready-to-wear purchases, with **% of French people considering it to be a determining factor. Quality is the second most important purchase criterion, with **% of those surveyed attaching importance to it.

To a lesser extent, consumers pay attention to product lifespan, origin, brand and materials used.

Main criteria for buying clothes France, ****, in Source: ****

Source: ****

First and foremost, men are influenced by their friends and family when shopping for clothes (***).

Main sources of influence for men's ready-to-wear purchases France, ****, in Source: ****

More specifically, it appears that young people are more influenced by external elements than their elders. Indeed, the survey below highlights that, whatever the source of influence concerned, the rate of respondents claiming to be inspired by it decreases as age increases. The communication strategies of ready-to-wear brands, whatever the medium (***), are therefore more likely to influence the purchases of younger generations[***]. Main sources of influence on ready-to-wear purchases by age group France, ****, in Source: ****

2.4 The ethical and responsible turn

The clothing industry is one of the most polluting in the world. It is the third biggest water consumer and is responsible for **% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, i.e. *.* billion tonnes annually, according to a report by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (***). Furthermore, consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental impacts of fast-fashion and are showing a growing ecological commitment[***].

A Yougov survey conducted in **** highlights the growing attention consumers are paying to the clothes they buy - this survey has unfortunately not been repeated since. Indeed, **% of those surveyed have already reduced their clothing purchases for ethical or ecological reasons, and **% intend to do so. While in practice, a majority of consumers are not changing their behavior, most French people (***) are in favor of a change in the production policy of brands in the textile sector in favor of more ethical manufacturing of their products.

In ****, **% of men donated their unworn clothes to associations and **% to friends and family. These figures are lower than those for women, which can be explained by the fact that men consume fewer clothes and keep those they buy for longer.

Behavior towards clothes that are no longer worn France, ****, in Source: ...

2.5 Changes in consumer behaviour following the covid-19 crisis

The year ****, marked by an absence of administrative store closures and containment, saw a stabilization of the changes in consumer habits that had been observed during the health crisis. This stabilization includes a reduction in store visits and impulse purchases, an increase in the transformation rate and average basket in store, anda rise in the share of online sales.

Evolution of in-store indicators France, **** vs ****, in Source: ****

The number of store openings by retailers has fallen by **% compared with ****. This reduction is mainly due to limited investment capacity. As a result, these chains are investing less in opening their own stores, preferring instead business models such as franchising or affiliation.

By ****, online sales had jumped by **% compared with ****. However, an overall decline in the market is noted, attributed in part to an **% decrease in the number of clothing stores over a three-year period, resulting from outlet closures and the disappearance of banners[***].

Sales less attractive:

Sales are also attracting fewer customers than before the health crisis. In fact, retailer sales for the first * days are -**% lower between **** and ****. Similarly, store traffic is down -**% over the same period.

Sales start-up figures (***) France, **** vs ****, in Source: ****

These declines in sales and ...

3.1 Value chain

The market value chain is illustrated below.

Raw materials are either extracted from animals, as in the case of wool, or from plants, such as cotton, or created by man through the synthesis of chemical compounds. These raw materials are used to manufacture natural or synthetic fibers, which are assembled to produce textiles that are then subjected to styling treatments. Finally, the textiles are cut, assembled and sewn to create the garments that will be mass-produced, packaged and marketed.

Source: ****

3.2 Men's ready-to-wear production

French ready-to-wear production:

The production of ready-to-wear garments distributed in France is mostly outsourced by ready-to-wear players and relocated abroad. In ****, France imported almost ** billion garments, making it Europe's third largest importer of clothing from third countries[***]

Itis mainly the luxury brands that maintain French production, even if relocation is on the increase in the luxury sector. Chanel, for example, concentrates most of its production in France, as does Hermès[***].

Rising wage costs in Asian countries, particularly China, may therefore exert upward pressure on French ready-to-wear. This explains the diversification of production sources, as the trend in recent years has been to relocate to countries closer to home, such as Eastern Europe or North Africa.

Geographical breakdown of French clothing manufacturing:

French clothing manufacturing (***) is registered under several NAF codes. Two are of particular interest for ready-to-wear production:

**.**Z: Manufacture of outerwear **.**Z: Manufacture of undergarments

The following table and map list French production sites for men's and women's outerwear and underwear.

Source: ****

We can thus see that there are far more establishments registered as manufacturers of tops (***), and that production is highly concentrated in the Paris region.

Source: ****

Breakdown of French men's ready-to-wear production by item type:

Excluding ...

3.3 Distribution dominated by specialized chains

The market shares of the various distributors in the French apparel market reveal the weight of the different players in the men's ready-to-wear segment.

Clothing distribution in France is divided between different channels:

chains, either located in city centers (***); food superstores (***); sports stores (***); independents, i.e. small multi-brand boutiques; department stores and popular stores (***); discount and hard discount stores; pure players (***); other players include vendors at trade fairs and cultural and sporting events.

Main ready-to-wear distribution channels France, ****, as % of total Source: ****

Specialized and mixed chains (***).

Growth in textile and apparel sales is mainly driven by increased sales in department stores (***). Hypermarkets maintained stable sales levels, while multi-brand boutiques experienced a slight decline. Pure-players, which had been growing strongly in previous years, saw their sales fall by **%.

sales trends by distribution channel France, **** vs ****, as % of total sales Source: ****

The apparent growth in **** is deceptive, as sales in value terms are still *.*% lower than in ****, despite an average price increase of *%. Only pure-players and mass-market chains saw their sales increase. The market is therefore continuing its downward trend, which is not expected to reverse in ****. What's more, according to the director of the IFM observatory, the historic chains undergoing insolvency proceedings ...

3.4 Digitizing the market

According to the Institut Français de la Mode (***), the three priority areas for investment in **** are digital, sustainable development initiatives and point-of-sale attractiveness. These areas have been recognized as essential for growth and adaptation to current market trends[***].

Online purchases will account for **% of the French apparel market in ****, down slightly from **% in ****. It was only *% in ****. Eco-responsibility has become a major consumer expectation, prompting companies to integrate it into their strategy. In addition, the second-hand market has seen significant growth, notably due to high consumer inventories in advanced countries. By ****, Vinted, the major player in this market, has entered the top ** fashion sites/retailers in France[***].

This digitalization of the market is not only due to the increase in online purchases, but also to the growing influence of the Internet on French consumers. They are increasingly influenced by social networks and influencers, as well as by digital advertising and marketing campaigns, which represent a major challenge for industry players. In fact, the entire value chain is affected by the digital revolution: from creation to distribution, via manufacturing and communication.

Some of the main digital challenges include :

optimizing the supply chain ; personalizing offers and customer relations ; webmarketing; management of social ...

3.5 Interview with Séverin Bénichon, founder of Forlife

Marine: Welcome to the Niche, the podcast that analyzes the niche market with the entrepreneurs who are shaking things up. I'm Marine and I work at Businesscoot, the start-up that's dusting off market research before it starts. Subscribe to our podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcast. And now for today's niche: men's ready-to-wear pre-orders. For this, I welcome Séverin Bénichon, founder of Forlife. Hello Séverin,

Séverin : Hello Marine.

Marine: Thank you very much for being here. Séverin, first of all, I'd like you to tell us a bit about Forlife.

Séverin: Forlife offers iconic, responsible products without overproduction, thanks to pre-ordering. We sell product after product, we put a product on sale for a month and at the end of the month, we take only the orders that have been placed and we produce and deliver them about three months later.

Marine : OK, perfect. And if we look at the overall market, we'll talk about the pre-order market. But maybe it's good to recontextualize it in the men's ready-to-wear market as a whole to see how it behaves specifically in this segment. The men's ready-to-wear market will be worth around *** billion euros in **** worldwide, and ...

4.1 Product typology and prices

The table below provides an overview of the main products on offer in the men's ready-to-wear market.

The consumer price index for men's clothing reveals the move upmarket at the beginning of the decade. Prices then stabilized, and the slight volatility is mainly explained by the strong dependence on raw material prices, particularly for natural materials such as cotton and wool. However, we can see a slight drop in the index in the second half of the decade, followed by an increase for the year ****, subject to generalized inflation.

Consumer price index for men's clothing (***) France, ****-****, base *** in **** Source: ****

Beyond the "real" price in men's ready-to-wear, the value perceived by the consumer is fundamental to his purchasing decision. If the consumer feels that a product is worth less than its price, he will be unlikely to buy it, and vice versa.

Thus, by expressing consumers' reasons for buying, we can segment the market into * groups:

The"affordable" category is characterized by purchases primarily motivated by low prices, while stores belonging to the"affordable fashion" segment are appreciated for their low prices, but also the style of their products. Purchases in stores in the"fashion" category, on the other hand, are ...

4.2 New supply trends

A quest for quality:

In ****, fashion retailers face major financial hurdles, exacerbated by the uncertainty of their business and the need to increase investments despite already high costs. This situation generates financial complexity for ready-to-wear brands. In particular, production costs remain high, exacerbated by the depreciation of the euro. The costs of raw materials such as cotton and oil, as well as shipping, electricity and rent, have risen sharply compared with previous years [***].

Faced with the difficulties of generating growth, industry players are tending to profoundly modify their strategies to recreate affect and work towards "brand preference". To attract customers, price can no longer be the only answer: the quality of the concept, the welcome and the offer are essential[***].

For example, on May **, ****, Celio announced a restructuring plan involving ** jobs at its Saint-Ouen headquarters[***].

Similarly, Jules has merged with Brice in ****. The two brands of the HappyChic group will eventually form a single brand called Jules. The latter aims to adopt a more modern image, but also to propose a personalized offer that's better adapted to the local area. The aim is for the outlets to meet the specific needs of local customers. Last but not least, the brand intends ...

4.3 The importance of quality and social and environmental commitments

New entrants

The textile industry is undergoing a paradigm shift, placing quality above quantity and challenging the "fast fashion" concept that has dominated the market for decades. reducing the ecological footprint of textile production has become a priority, not only for the planet, but also for corporate profitability. This industry generates around **% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, due to the increase in per capita clothing consumption. A **% drop in French and German clothing imports could lead to an *% increase in European clothing manufacturing sales, if offset by local production. As a result, relocation is on the agenda[***].

like Balibaris, Ami, Bonne Gueule, Etudes, Asphalte and Olow, new entrants are capitalizing on the trends highlighted in part *.*. They are focusing on quality, transparency and customer support through the creation of a blog, like Bonne Gueule, or the claim to "smart fashion", like Asphalte.

Wedressfair, an ethical fashion start-up, offers clothing from almost ** sustainable brands on its online platform. These carefully selected brands must meet strict criteria in terms of traceability, eco-responsibility of materials and respect for human rights. According to Marie Nguyen, co-founder of Wedressfair, the company verifies the origin of raw materials and their eco-responsibility. Wedressfair's approach is to buy ...

5. Regulations

In-store sales

In-store sales are subject to certain rules, as summarized by Legalplace:

Safety and accessibility standards[***] [Service Public Mandatory employee signage Indication of prices inside and outside the store, in euros and including VAT Mandatory contribution to SACEM if music is played on the premises

Clothing labels

Clothing labels must include :

Composition label: this is mandatory and must be affixed to the product, legible and written in French. Care label: this is optional, but helps to avoid professional liability in the event of care-related problems. Size designation: this can be numerical or alphabetical.

[***]

Made in France and labels

The " Made in France " label is obtained by complying with the non-preferential rules of origin applied to imports by customs authorities. In short, the product takes its origin from the country where it underwent its last substantial transformation. [***]

Made in France labels guarantee greater visibility on the origin of products. For example, the France Terre Textile label guarantees that at least **% of the manufacturing steps were carried out in France. [***]

The Made in responsable website describes several textile labels and their limitations. Among the best known are OEKO-TEX, which guarantees textiles free of toxic products for the body and the environment, ...

6. Segmentation

• Kiabi Europe
• Fast retailing Group Unoqlo
• Jack & Jones
• GAP
• Armand Thiery
• Celio
• Inditex groupe (Zara)
• C&A France
• Ralph Lauren
• Intersport France
• Go Sport France
• Bonne Gueule
• Asphalte
• 1083
• Zadig et Voltaire
• Brice (groupe Mulliez)
• Jules (groupe Mulliez)
• Devred
• Eden Park
• Massimo Dutti (Inditex groupe)
• H&M Groupe
• Decathlon Groupe