Over the past decade market trends have changed offering creative products. Brands like Dolce, Gucci, Dior, and Gabana have expanded their market through these types of products. Several stores and boutiques in France specialize in unique items of French intimate apparels. Agent Provocateur is a classic and couture lingerie brand. US companies have good opportunities in this sector, and have superior brands that appeal to the preferences of the French consumers. Warnaco's Lejaby, Calvin Klein, & Warner's, Sara Lees's Playtex, Dim, & Wonderbra, and VF Diffusion's Bestform, Lou, Variance, Bolero, & Vassarette, enjoy a good market in France. US are predicted to have a promising market in France as French consumers are becoming more receptive to American fashions.

 

However, domestic brands do have a strong hold in the French market. The top five intimate apparel brands in France are Lejaby, Simone Perele, Chantelle, Aubade, and Barbara. Domestic brands like Lise Charmel, Ravage, Rien, have a reputed market. Brands of Swear and Audrey have a sales figure three times more than imported lingerie's. Brands like Pour Moi and Chantelle have achieved good revenues. Sold in more than 50 countries, Chantelle is the top French brand in the world.

 

 

France offers a fashion fiesta of lingerie's for the fashion savvy women of today. Brassieres with cut seams, molded shape and nave embroideries, transparent body suits, classic demi-cups with underwire, intimate wears in ultra simple shapes with decorated graphics, camisoles with transparency and layering are a few items that sell in the market like hot cakes. Lingerie's made from fabrics of fine opaque knits, voile knits, organza, blended woven stretch products, and fine tulle fill the stores in France. Cotton, linen, microfibres, laces, and tiny mesh fabrics also have their share in the making of these garments. Appealing intimate apparels in shades of indigo, cobalt lavender, tone-on-tone colors with hues of pink, red, and orange, opaque & translucent white and pastel tones of parma and blue are the shades most sought after by 'French mademoiselles'. There is a resurgence of fashion of the early 40's and 50's among the French designers. Sensual fabrics with subtle lines in complementing hues have made their appearance. Aubade lingerie's exhibit the grace of the geisha in soft, feminine intimate apparels. Flower motifs supplemented by leavers lace demonstrate an intimate feel.

 

 

France was a leading supplier of intimate wears to Europe, ranking second next to UK. After the abolition of quotas by EU, the European market flooded with Chinese apparels. Imports of Chinese lingerie to France averages to $10 million USD annually. French manufacturers are losing sales in Europe; their main export market. This implies a tough competition among retailers in France. Thus, to keep abreast of the cut-throat competition, French intimate wear manufacturers go in for partnership to boost their brands. They put up appealing bill boards in the streets of Paris and other first tier cities with eye-catching advertisements of women in lacy lingerie's.