1.1 Definition and scope of the study

Ready-to-wear refers to all clothing items produced in series thanks to a standardization of sizes. It is therefore opposed to made-to-measure. Non-textile shoes and accessories, as well as products for children, are excluded from this study.

The global women's ready-to-wear market is expanding, notably due to the dynamism of the Asia-Pacific and US markets, which are driving growth. The market is also characterized by a fragmented structure, with no single company accounting for more than 3% of the sector's market share by 2020.

Similarly, the French women's ready-to-wear market is fragmented and divided into several segments, each dominated by leading brands. Indeed, the market is divided according to the price range offered, from entry-level (Kiabi, Gémo) and luxury ready-to-wear (Hermès, Prada) to mid-range (H&M, Zara, Camaïeu) and high-end (Sandro, Maje). In addition to these players, there are also pure players such as Veepee and Asos.

This very strong fragmentation has led to a saturation of the offer which weighs on the French women's ready-to-wear market, particularly on the mid-range brands which represent a large majority of players.

The French ready-to-wear market is experiencing difficulties, as evidenced by a structural contraction in ready-to-wear sales in France. This decline has been accentuated by the social movements of 2019 and the Covid-19 crisis of 2020.

However, the women's ready-to-wear market is evolving in line with trends that constitute important growth drivers.Social and environmental commitment is particularly important in this sector. in addition, the digitalization of the market and the significant influence of marketing and communication campaigns.

1.2 The global market for women's ready-to-wear clothing

The global women's apparel market is growing, but this growth is primarily driven by the dynamic Asian and U.S. markets. The global women's apparel market was estimated to be worth US$*.*** billion in **** and is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.*% between **** and ****.[***] However, this estimate goes beyond the ...

1.3 The French market in difficulty

The French women's ready-to-wear market is experiencing strong structural difficulties, affecting the mid-range segment in particular. The year **** had rekindled hopes of a recovery, but the market's decline became apparent once again in ****. In ****, sales of women's ready-to-wear in France were thus estimated at**.* billion euros.

The health crisis has weighed ...

1.4 Foreign trade in women's ready-to-wear clothing

Women's ready-to-wear imports can be estimated from the share of imports from China. Indeed, **.*% of women's ready-to-wear imports came from China in **** and this share amounted to €*,***.* million according toFashion Network. The amount of imports can be obtained by the following calculation: *** * ****.* / **.*.

Therefore, French imports of women's ready-to-wear can be estimated ...

1.5 The effect of Covid-19

The Covid-** crisis has strongly impacted the ready-to-wear market, as shown in the chart below, which illustrates the evolution of retail sales in value of clothing in specialized stores (***). Due to the qurantine and drop in store traffic, the turnover of specialty stores was divided by * between April **** and April ****.

Sales ...

2.1 Consumer profile

Who is buying?

In ****, the average budget per woman decreased by *%, from *** to *** euros, which is indicative of the deconsumption of ready-to-wear that will be explored in more detail in section *.*. Furthermore, the graph below shows that the age categories that spend the most on ready-to-wear are **-** year olds and ...

2.2 Determinants of demand

Source: ****

For their ready-to-wear purchases, French women are primarily inspired by their entourage (***) and everyday people.

François-Marie Grau, General Secretary of the French Federation of Women's Ready-to-Wear, states: "French women are more inspired by their relatives and other people of everyday life and less by people who are supposed to ...

2.3 Demand trends: CSR, a major issue

Ready-to-wear brands are facing a phenomenon of deconsumerism that is growing: **% of French people bought less clothing in ****.[***] In ****, this figure even reached **% for the entire population and **% for women.

The first reason why the consumption of women's ready-to-wear clothing is decreasing is the decline in household purchasing power and the ...

3.1 Ready-to-wear value chain

The women's ready-to-wear market is divided into the following stages. Using raw materials, textile producers manufacture and supply these textiles to ready-to-wear producers. These ready-to-wear producers make collections of products that are then distributed through various channels to French women.

Source: ****

The production of women's ready-to-wear distributed in France is mostly ...

3.2 Distribution

The following figures are not specific to women's ready-to-wear, but to the whole category, without making a distinction of gender because these figures were unavailable, we have however considered useful to provide the following:

The production in value

If consumer demand for sustainable fashion is growing, and in particular the demand ...

3.3 Distribution: growth in e-commerce

Store or Internet? A growth of e-commerce

Women's ready-to-wear distribution France, ****-****, in percent Source: ****

Marked by the health crisis and confinements, the year **** pushed customers to turn to the internet for their clothing purchases, indeed, the share of clothing sold on the internet rose from **.**% to **% between **** and ****, an increase ...

3.4 The players: a highly segmented market

The actors of the women's ready to wear

The women's ready-to-wear market is highly segmented, with a multitude of players. We can cite the podium in market share of players in spending in the last quarter of ****[***]:

Zara (***) H&M (***) Kiabi (***)

We can also mention Camaïeu, which, before its receivership ...

4.1 Types of products

Women's ready-to-wear consists of two main categories: outerwear and small outerwear which can be broken down and summarized as follows.

Outerwear includes:

protective clothing: coats, raincoats, anoraks, parkas, windbreakers, jackets, blazers, vests, etc. pants and jeans: pants, shorts, Bermuda shorts, overalls, coveralls, jeans, leggings skirts and dresses: dresses, skirts, suits, ...

4.2 The prices

General price trends

The graph below illustrates the evolution of consumer prices for women's clothing (***), made-to-measure or ready-to-wear. Although this category does not correspond exactly to the scope of the study, the graph reveals a dominant trend in ready-to-wear. Indeed, prices for women's ready-to-wear have been stable for several years. Two ...

4.3 Supply-side issues and trends

Major issues

Among the strategic themes considered important by the companies in the sector, social and environmental commitment comes in first place, with all the professionals questioned considering it to be a crucial subject in the market. The implementation of a well-defined data strategy is also considered a necessary element for ...

5.1 Regulations

In-store sales

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

Safety and accessibility standards[***] Mandatory displays for the attention of employees Indication of prices inside and outside the store in euros and including VAT Mandatory contribution to the SACEM if music is played in the establishment

Labeling of ...

6.1 Segmentation

Several specialized and non-specialized giants stand out in the French ready-to-wear market:

the Mulliez family association (***) the Beaumanoir family group (***) the Inditex group (***) the Hennes & Mauritz group (***) the LVMH group (***) : kering group (***) : sMCP group (***):

The table below also reflects the strong fragmentation of the market and describes, in a non-exhaustive way, ...