The workwear market in France

Work clothes are items of clothing designed to be worn in the course of a professional activity, often with the aim of protecting the worker against one or more safety hazards.

There are four main categories of workwear:

Technical clothing ;

Image clothing ;

Uniforms;

Personal protective equipment (PPE).

Nevertheless, the distinction between these categories is gradually becoming blurred, as many PPE or technical garments are becoming increasingly personalized, thus including the notion of image. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of specialized PPE, particularly in the medical sector, where demand for disposable and reusable garments rose sharply, contributing to an overall increase in demand in this segment. In 2023, these innovations also saw wider applications in other sectors such as industry, thanks to the integration of innovative fabrics to meet growing comfort and safety requirements.

The workwear market is closely linked to the dynamism of sectors such as industry, construction, certain commercial services(hotels/restaurants, transport), healthcare and the civil service. For example, despite the crisis in the construction industry (-34% in real estate transactions between Q3 2021 and Q2 2024), opportunities remain in sub-segments linked to energy renovation and new safety standards. Workwear now incorporates sportswear-inspired functionalities, such as anti-perspiration or ergonomic fabrics, to meet growing user expectations, particularly with the feminization of certain sectors. it should be noted that, according to theObservatoire prospectif des métiers et des qualifications du BTP, 20% of construction apprentices in the Île-de-France region will be women by 2021, a figure that is prompting manufacturers to diversify their collections.

At the same time, recent regulatory adjustments are having a considerable impact on this market. The European ecodesign regulation adopted in 2024 requires manufacturers to integrate recycled materials and ensure full traceability thanks to the Digital Product Passport (DPP). These measures bring with them technical and financial challenges, reinforcing the importance of innovation to meet these new requirements while controlling production costs, already weighed down by a 28.5% rise in thetextile producer price index between 2020 and 2023.