Either we stop now or we rethink everything
. Pierre and Jean Forestier had to make this difficult choice in September 2023, when their linen clothing brand made in France, Gratitude, was on the brink of collapse. Three years earlier, the two brothers from Béhuard championed impeccable fashion from an environmental perspective. But inflation and market reality caught up with them. And forced to fight for the survival of their business – which still exists.
Like Gratitude, many “made in France” clothing brands suffer from a difficult context. Its two main players, Le Slip français and 1083, have initiated radical transformation plans to keep their heads above water. And Anjou is not immune to these difficulties. It’s a massacre
says Eugénie Bétard, whose sandal brand, Aymer, disappeared in the summer of 2023. Since September, it has been very complicated. We ask ourselves a lot of questions
also confides Julia Chassagneux, who runs the Monarque ready-to-wear house with her sisters Mélinda and Clélia.
Only €10 margin on a €140 shirt
Among the cocktail of causes
pointed out by Pierre Forestier, the increase in manufacturing costs comes first. Its margins being already very low, Gratitude was unable to collect the increase invoiced by the workshop which made its shirts, near Tours. We only had a €10 margin on a €140 shirt. It’s an already expensive product, we couldn’t sell it for €400 either.
asks the entrepreneur, from now on…
