An honorary order, but proof of true French know-how. The MLT group recently won a significant market, in terms of turnover and visibility, with La Redoute. The Loire region will produce its “made in France” knitwear collection, i.e. 11 different models of sweaters and accessories for men and women.
On sale in mid-October, it seems to have met its audience, since a restocking of 840 pieces has just been validated and another is announced for December. “We have been working with La Redoute for two years on a signature sweater. Here we clearly go further. We feel that the lines are moving everywhere,” rejoices Karine Renouil-Tiberghien, co-director of MLT.
Kick-off of Black Friday: textiles made in France at a turning point
Based in Roanne, the French cradle of knitwear, MLT (which has 85 employees and achieved 7 million euros in turnover in 2023) is advancing its pawns. Made up of a group of SME subcontractors, as well as the ready-to-wear brand Griffon (taken over last year), the company observes that its made in France arguments are increasingly hitting the mark with mass distribution and ready-to-wear brands.
The group manufactures in particular for the Eric Bompard and Aigle brands. MLT also collaborates with Camaïeu. He had also positioned himself on the takeover of this brand two years ago to make it a brand made in France but had the spotlight stolen by Celio. Which, ultimately, gives him work…
Seamless manufacturing and automation
In Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine), 3D-TEX also counts among its loyal customers distributors, ready-to-wear or sports players such as the Saint-Malo group Beaumanoir (Bonobo, Cache-Cache, Bréal…) and names like Auchan, Sézane, Jules or Decathlon.
The SME with 35 employees, including hosier makers trained internally, has focused on the French manufacture of sweaters, hats and scarves at affordable prices for different brands and brands, as well as technical textiles for industry. Its technology allows for seamless, waste-free manufacturing (2 to 3% fabric loss compared to 15 to 30% in the traditional textile industry).
A committed player in textile relocation and winner of the France 2030 “First Factory” call for projects, the 3D-TEX company has been growing since its birth in 2021. However, it has just launched its expansion project 3D knitting factory on standby.
« Since winter 2023 and again this year, activity has contracted [en raison de l’inflation des coûts, baisse du pouvoir d’achat, NDLR]. The company is growing, but the lack of perspective and insufficient profitability no longer allows us to invest nearly 8 million euros in this project. », Regrets Basile Ricquier, one of the three co-founders of 3D-TEX whose factory will still produce 100,000 parts in 2024.
The ambition was to bring together the two sites (study and manufacturing) in 2026 and their 80 employees. But the economic situation is forcing the Breton company to review its plans and activate other development levers. 3D-TEX wants to perpetuate its industrial capacity through the development of its own premium brand at factory prices, Cézembre, born a year ago, and thus triple its revenues.
Also experiencing difficulties, Le Slip Français has reviewed its industrial and marketing strategy. Objective: sell 400,000 men's underwear by 2024, thanks in particular to a new partnership with the Carrefour group. To access this distributor, the company also revised its pricing policy: the single piece went from 40 euros to 29.99.
« There is not an infinite market for high-end briefs made in France. We were losing 10% of turnover per year. We had no other choice but to sell cheaper, by reducing our costs everywhere and above all by automating », Testifies Guillaume Gibault, the founder of the company of 70 employees.
With a turnover close to 20 million euros, Le Slip Français has invested in a new production unit in the Paris region.
Made in France: high-end, guarantee of textile sustainability
New factory
In the sector, he is not the only one to invest in a new production tool despite the difficult economic situation. At the end of October, the Catalan SME LCS Group-The French Jersey inaugurated its new 2,000 m2 factory in Perpignan. An investment of 2 million euros, supported by the France Relance plan (350,000 euros), with the objective of tripling its production made in France. Or 90,000 pieces per year within three years.
Specializing in textile customization (embroidery or screen printing), the company produces between 2,000 and 2,500 sports jerseys per month, for sports clubs, communities and businesses. It also manufactures under the Côté Français brand, notably Les Nouvelles Galeries, and has just created the Labor brand, “school uniforms made in France, which will be in place by the end of the year », Specifies Nicolas Gomarir, the founder and CEO of the entity born in 2014 (38 employees and 3.2 million euros in turnover).
To make its economic model stick in France, “ 10 to 15% more expensive », Nicolas Gomarir notably boasts his ability to stock white fabric that is never obsolete or still relies on on-demand production. Another major issue at the moment is the shortage of skills in industrial sewing professions. Thus, LCS Groupe-Le Maillot Français launched the École Sud Manufacture in partnership with a training center, to train a dozen people per year. The first work-study training, “Couturier in fashion and luxury industrial specialty workshop”, will begin in January 2025.
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