Fashion
French ready-to-wear ends 2025 caught between collapse and hope
By
AFP
Published
December 29, 2025
Under pressure from fast fashion and the second-hand market, the French ready-to-wear sector is faltering, with bankruptcies, receiverships, and liquidations punctuating 2025. Even so, experts believe a rebound is possible, driven by a refocus on brand DNA, innovation, and an upmarket shift.
As the year draws to a close, the IKKS brand has just changed hands but will lose half its staff; JOTT (Just Over The Top) has been placed in receivership; and Anne Fontaine has had its safeguard plan approved. With Camaïeu, Kookaï, Jennyfer, André, San Marina, Minelli, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse Tam Tam, and Kaporal, there are countless French companies in difficulty in this sector, or that have simply disappeared.
Brutal “impoverishment” and “downfall”
Nearly 1,500 clothing boutiques closed in France in 2024, according to a parliamentary report. The Union des Industries Textiles reports that the workforce has shrunk from 400,000 in the 1970s to 60,000 today. This figure does not, however, include in-store employees- 70,000 at the end of 2023, according to the Fédération nationale de l’habillement.
Having weathered the difficult shift to online sales, as well as Covid-19 and inflation, traditional players are now facing competition from second-hand and ultra-fast fashion- a “profound upheaval”, according to Gildas Minvielle, Director of the Economic Observatory at the French Fashion Institute (IFM). According to the IFM, these two channels now account for 13% of sales by value and nearly 30% of volumes purchased.
Historic players shaken up
Gildas Minvielle tells AFP: “The market share taken by these new entrants is very significant, and very damaging for the more established players. If the market had been buoyant, we could have hoped there would be room for everyone, but that’s not the case.” With an average price per item on Shein or Temu of €9- around one third of traditional mid-range prices- these Asian groups are causing a brutal “impoverishment,” “in a context where purchasing power is weak,” he says.
To get to the root of the “downfall,” we need to travel back to the 1990s with the “arrival of first-generation fast-fashion brands” such as Zara and H&M, offering “collections that change every week to force people to buy,” says Benoît Heilbrunn, a philosopher and marketing professor at ESCP Business School.
Clear positioning and an industrial model for survival
“French chains haven’t been able to keep up, because they didn’t have and still don’t have an industrial model,” points out the brand specialist, while 97% of textiles consumed in France are imported. The other problem is that “French textile brands have had nothing to say for years,” he laments. “No one talks about innovation, no one talks about product.”
Françoise Clément, a fashion and retail expert, agrees and points to brands that have remained in their “comfort zone,” seeking to “buy the consumer with promotions” but that ultimately “have not created value.” According to this consultant, a former textile director at Carrefour, brands must reconnect with their “core DNA” and offer “clear positioning” to survive.
A “death spiral” of prices at the low end
The ready-to-wear sector is like “an hourglass,” she says, using a metaphor: the top of the hourglass (luxury and “heritage” brands) remains solid thanks to prestige. At the lower end, it’s a race to the bottom on price, with a “death spiral” that nonetheless finds its audience. In between, the mid-range is the segment “most in difficulty.”
Mid-range brands must “diversify and premiumise” and above all avoid imitating fast fashion, says Françoise Clément. The future requires a balance between “quality, attractiveness, innovation, and desirability,” as seen at “Lacoste or Aigle,” or Le Slip Français, for made-in-France production, or at Decathlon, which combines “accessibility and innovation.” The clothing crisis is “not inevitable,” she insists. Far from the prevailing “gloom,” “opportunities” exist for “brands that get moving.”
The annual State of Fashion BoF-McKinsey report lists several strategic areas for development: the “necessary” use of artificial intelligence, diversification of production sites in the face of the “turbulence” of international tariffs, moving upmarket, and the integration of a second-hand offer. A vast programme.
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Revenues of cotton spinners are projected to decline by 4-6 per cent in FY26 and margin contraction is likely to be 50-100 basis points (bps). Moderation in cotton prices is expected to offset the impact to an extent.
Following a flattish H1 FY26, the impact of US tariff on Indian cotton spinners is expected to moderate cotton yarn realisation in H2, ICRA said.
Cotton spinners’ revenues are projected to drop by 4-6 per cent in FY26 and margin contraction is likely to be 50-100 bps.
Moderation in cotton prices is likely to offset the impact to an extent.
Material expansion in capacity creations is not expected in FY26.
Any positive developments around the ongoing tariff-related negotiations with the United States could help soften the impact to an extent, the Moody’s Ratings affiliate said in a report titled ‘Indian Cotton Spinning Industry: Trends & Outlook’
After witnessing a modest recovery in FY25 with increase in domestic yarn consumption by 2 per cent year on year (YoY), the Indian cotton spinning industry, is navigating a challenging phase in FY26 amidst a mix of stable domestic demand and effects of reciprocal and punitive tariffs levied by the United States on Indian apparel exports.
To mitigate the impact, Indian apparel exporters are providing sizeable discounts, which are being absorbed throughout the value chain (including spinners).
The import duty exemption on cotton imports in India till December 2025 and recent relaxation on quality control orders for both viscose staple fibre (VSF) and several yarns and polyester fibres is likely to moderate raw material prices for manmade fibre (MMF) yarn manufacturers, it said.
“While this supports readymade garments manufacturers with access to raw material at competitive prices, it exposes domestic MMF yarn manufacturers to competition from import suppliers,” noted ICRA.
Domestic cotton fibre prices fell by around 3 per cent month on month (MoM) in November 2025. Average cotton yarn prices fell by 4 per cent.
This resulted in contribution levels moderating to ₹96/kg in November 2025 from ₹103 per kg in H1 FY26. ICRA anticipates contribution levels are likely to stabilise at ₹98-100 per kg for FY26 due to moderation in realisation expected in H2 FY26.
ICRA’s sample set of 13 companies, which accounts for 25-30 per cent of the industry’s revenue, is expected to report a 4-6 per cent decline in revenues on a YoY basis in FY26.
Additionally, margins are expected to contract by 50-100 basis points in FY26, primarily due to weaker performance expected in H2.
Given the available capacities, material expansion in capacity creations is not expected in FY26 in the sector, ICRA added.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
At the heart of this resurgence is a vertically integrated ecosystem that not many can match. Egypt is home to the largest and most productive cotton and textile clusters in Africa, with the full value chain operating domestically—from cotton cultivation to spinning, weaving, knitting and readymade garments. This integration is not just a legacy advantage; it is a commercial weapon in a world where supply chain resilience and speed to market increasingly dictate competitiveness.
The sector already punches above its weight. Textiles and garments reportedly rank as Egypt’s second-largest industrial activity after food and beverages, accounting for roughly a quarter of the apparel sector, as per some estimates even if Egyptian cotton, prized globally for its long staple and premium quality, continues to anchor the country’s reputation at the higher end of the market, reducing reliance on imported raw materials and enabling value-added production that commands better margins.
By
DPA
Published
December 29, 2025
The sluggish economic environment is dampening consumer sentiment: many people are holding on to their money rather than shopping extensively. Germany’s largest sports retail group, Intersport, is feeling the effects too and plans to focus on specific themes and trends in the coming year- from football and running to outdoor sports.
The men’s World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 in the US, Canada, and Mexico- a major event that Intersport is also counting on. “In 2025, what we lacked were major sporting events like the European Football Championship and the Olympics the year before,” said Alexander von Preen, chief executive of Intersport Germany. The DFB team’s matches are scheduled so that they can be watched in the evening in Germany. “These are really favourable conditions for the World Cup.”
All major sporting events are beneficial and encourage people to do more sport. “But football just does it; it stimulates society as a whole in a positive way,” said von Preen. He expects the World Cup to revive interest in team sports. Because “then we will see even more people, more young people in sports clubs.” This area’s share of sales at Intersport had recently dipped slightly.
There is also a strong focus on the sale of shirts: at the home European Championship in 2024, Intersport retailers sold half a million shirts. The DFB team’s pink away shirt in particular struck a chord with customers and was temporarily sold out.
Intersport is banking on this effect again next year. The national team’s home shirt is already available in stores. “The feedback from our retailers when it came to ordering was very, very positive, and the launch of the latest Adidas home shirt has already far exceeded our expectations,” said Intersport executive board member Henriette Tesch, who is responsible for purchasing, among other areas. The same is expected of the away shirt, which Adidas plans to unveil in March.
Intersport’s biggest sales driver is the outdoor category. This includes clothing, shoes, and equipment for activities such as hiking, trekking, and camping. “Outdoor is our most important category- and it’s growing again at a very high, post-pandemic level,” said Tesch. In addition to multifunctional clothing, products that offer protection against UV rays and insects represent a notable innovation in outdoor apparel.
“This is all about health. Many people are no longer interested in achieving the maximum tan, but in protecting their bodies,” said Tesch. Some brands have recognised this and launched corresponding collections. Another continuing trend is that multifunctional jackets, for example, are increasingly visible on the streets.
According to Intersport, running is currently experiencing a boom- driven above all by running communities. “People are going running together- and it’s not about high performance,” said Tesch. It’s more about organising runs as social events and exercising together in groups of like-minded people.
“We benefit from that.” Every year, there are more than 3,000 such running events across Germany. This is reflected in Intersport’s sales- not only through running shoes and clothing, but also through equipment such as hydration systems. “We are currently seeing double-digit growth.” Trends such as Hyrox- an indoor competition in which participants run 1,000 metres eight times and complete workout stations in between- are also positive.
What’s more, Intersport has long observed a convergence of sport and fashion. Sports-inspired clothing such as trainers and leggings has become an integral part of many people’s everyday lives. Now there is another trend: according to Intersport, the classic running shoe is gradually replacing the trainer on the streets. “Take a closer look at people’s feet. In business settings, the white trainer is still firmly established, but you increasingly see running shoes,” said von Preen. With their substantial cushioning and higher soles, they help even non-athletes get through the day comfortably.
“This will support us significantly, especially in the sports shoe business,” said the Intersport boss. “It’s a huge trend. I would say that, compared with the trainer boom, we will now experience this running shoe boom.”
By its own account, Intersport is Germany’s largest sports retail group. It recently had around 700 retailers with more than 1,400 stores nationwide. More than 400 of these also operate under the Intersport name. The group aims to increase its turnover to around six billion euros by 2030- delivering an expected market share of just over 30%.
In 2023/24, retailers’ turnover fell slightly to 3.46 billion euros, partly due to subdued consumer sentiment. However, it said it had gained market share. For the financial year ending in September, von Preen recently anticipated slightly better trading. The retail co-operative generally does not disclose profit figures.
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