Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The French fashion industry generates approximately €150 billion in annual sales
France is the world's second-largest exporter of fashion goods after China
In 2022, French fashion exports reached €47 billion
The fashion sector in France employs over 600,000 people
France is home to more than 600 fashion companies recognized globally
Paris Fashion Week generates over €400 million for the French economy annually
French consumers spend an average of €1,100 per year on clothing
As of 2023, the French luxury fashion market is valued at €25.5 billion
LVMH (a French company) is the world’s largest luxury fashion conglomerate with over €79 billion in revenue in 2022
Chanel reported annual revenues exceeding €17 billion in 2022
Hermès generated €11.6 billion in revenues in 2022
Over 1,000 fashion shows and presentations occurred in Paris in 2022
70% of French fashion companies are SMEs or family businesses
Economic Impact
- The French fashion industry generates approximately €150 billion in annual sales
- France is home to more than 600 fashion companies recognized globally
- Paris Fashion Week generates over €400 million for the French economy annually
- French consumers spend an average of €1,100 per year on clothing
- As of 2023, the French luxury fashion market is valued at €25.5 billion
- LVMH (a French company) is the world’s largest luxury fashion conglomerate with over €79 billion in revenue in 2022
- Chanel reported annual revenues exceeding €17 billion in 2022
- Hermès generated €11.6 billion in revenues in 2022
- Over 1,000 fashion shows and presentations occurred in Paris in 2022
- French consumers buy more than 2.6 billion clothing items annually
- The average French person owns 114 pieces of clothing
- Online sales represent 20% of total fashion revenue in France
- France produces 25% of Europe’s total luxury goods
- Paris hosts 4 Fashion Weeks per year (Women’s, Men’s, Haute Couture Spring and Fall)
- French fashion marketing expenditures exceed €1 billion annually
- France accounts for 23% of global haute couture fashion houses
- Revenue from prêt-à-porter sales in France reached €41 billion in 2022
- Fashion accounts for approximately 2.7% of France’s GDP
- 56% of French consumers buy fashion online at least once a month
- The average unit price for a luxury handbag sold in France is €2,000
- Second-hand fashion in France generated over €1.5 billion in 2022
- Vinted is the most widely used second-hand fashion app in France, with over 16 million users
- Online luxury fashion in France reached revenues of €5.1 billion in 2022
- The French footwear market generated €4.3 billion in 2022
- Paris ranks first globally as a fashion capital
- The average French woman spends €450 annually on apparel
- 95% of luxury fashion buyers in France are urban dwellers
- The French lingerie market is valued at over €2 billion
- Fashion accounts for 70% of leather consumption in France
- French fashion contributes to €870 million in annual tax revenue
- Approximately 60 fashion brands are headquartered in Paris
- 69% of French fashion industry revenue comes from women’s fashion
- Approximately 75% of France's fashion production is centered in Île-de-France
- France ranked #1 globally in fashion brand equity in 2022
- Gucci’s flagship store in Paris sees annual foot traffic exceeding 2 million
- Influence marketing accounts for 24% of advertising spend in the French fashion sector
- France’s children’s clothing market size was €3.6 billion in 2022
- Fashion jewelry market in France valued at €1.4 billion in 2022
- In 2023, 35% of French fashion executives listed supply chain disruption as a top concern
- The French workwear segment is worth €970 million
- French subscription fashion services grew by 19% year-over-year in 2022
Interpretation
With €150 billion in annual sales, 600 iconic brands, a global luxury throne crowned by LVMH and Chanel, and Parisians who splurge on 114 chic items a year—France’s fashion industry isn’t just dressing the world, it’s stitching together a chunk of the national GDP with a seamstress’s precision and a runway’s swagger.
Employment & Workforce
- The fashion sector in France employs over 600,000 people
- 70% of French fashion companies are SMEs or family businesses
- France has more than 20 fashion schools, including global leaders like Institut Français de la Mode
- French textile production employs 61,000 workers
- LVMH employs over 196,000 people globally, with 30% based in France
- France has over 13,500 clothing manufacturing companies
Interpretation
In France, fashion isn't just stitched into the culture—it's a sprawling, family-run, education-fueled, globally influential industry where over half a million people tailor the nation’s identity and economy with every seam.
Export & Trade
- France is the world's second-largest exporter of fashion goods after China
- In 2022, French fashion exports reached €47 billion
- France exported over €12 billion worth of leather goods in 2022
- 90% of luxury goods produced in France are exported
- More than 70% of French fashion companies focus on exports
- Leather fashion products are the top category for French exports in fashion
- France is the global leader in perfume fashion branding, accounting for 30% of international market share
- Over 85% of orders at French luxury fashion sites in 2022 came from international clients
- France exported over €2.8 billion worth of footwear in 2022
- Celine, a LVMH brand, derives 80% of revenue from outside France
Interpretation
France may dress the world in style, but with 90% of its luxury goods heading abroad and international clients snapping up the chic, it’s clear that while fashion is made in France, it’s worn everywhere else.
Innovation & Technology
- France ranks second globally in luxury fashion innovation
- Over 85% of French fashion brands use e-commerce platforms
- French fashion houses launch 4-6 collections annually
- The average French fashion company invests 6.8% of its budget in digital transformation
- Over 10,000 fashion design patents have been registered in France in the last decade
- Fashion tech startups in France received over €120 million in investment in 2022
Interpretation
Blending centuries-old elegance with cutting-edge innovation, the French fashion industry is strutting confidently into the digital age—heels high, data-driven, and couture-clad.
Sustainability & Environmental Impact
- Sustainable fashion accounts for 12% of sales in the French fashion market
- 32% of fashion shoppers in France consider sustainability important when buying
- French consumers discard an average of 12 kg of clothing per year
- France's textile recycling rate is 38%
- 50% of French consumers have purchased a second-hand item in the past year
- 60% of French consumers are willing to pay more for sustainably made clothing
- 40% of French fashion brands have integrated circular design practices
- 55% of textile waste in France ends up in landfills or is incinerated
Interpretation
While French consumers flirt with sustainable fashion—championing secondhand finds and promising to pay more for eco-friendly threads—the industry still struggles to stitch rhetoric to reality, with over half of textile waste ending up in landfills and just 12% of sales truly sustainable.