Welcome back to The Velvet Runway and this feature about 5 Fashion Brands French Women love

Ten tips to get French chic is one of my most popular style posts! You can read the full post here but in case you need a quick recap, here are the most important points.

  • Don’t try too hard (or at least don’t look as though you tried too hard!)
  • Don’t slavishly follow fashion trends, but favour timeless classics
  • Master the wardrobe essentials and create a capsule wardrobe
  • Remember to dress for your body shape and make sure that your clothes not only flatter your figure but that they are also the perfect fit
  • Keep to a limited colour palette with lots of neutrals
  • Know your signature style and stick to it, but have a little fun with accessories
  • Pay attention to grooming, which, like your style, should be perfectly imperfect!
  • and very importantly, own your style and be confident!
Cahors
Dress from La Petite Etoile
5 Fashion Brands French Women love.
Shirt from Sézane
5 Fashion Brands French Women love.
Dress from Grace and Mila

Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance

COCO CHANEL

Before, I go into any detail though, I would just like to say there are lots more than 5 Fashion brands French women love and that you should know about, and I’m briefly going to give you a list of a few others at the end of the post.

However, the 5 brands I am sharing here are just my personal favourites and where I shop the most. This is not a sponsored post and all the outfits featured were purchased either in store or online by me.

5 Fashion Brands French Women love

1. Claudie Pierlot

Claudie Pierlot is named after the woman who created this chic French Fashion Brand. Claudie Pierlot was born on November 29, 1947 in Troyes, which was once home to the most important textile industry in France, and at its height (in the early 1970s), the textile industry employed up to 25,000 people in Troyes.

It was also the first place in France to develop the concept of factory outlet stores, where initially the stores were located on the factory premises and served to sell off seconds or end-of-line models.

With this background, it is no surprise that Claudie quickly developed a great passion for fashion and natural elegance, and in 1984 she created her Maison “for Parisian women”.

Fashion Brands French Women Love
Sweater from Sézane, skirt from Claudie Pierlot

All Claudie Pierlot collections are designed in their workshops in Paris. They make the prototypes for the majority of their designs in their design studio, draw up their exclusive patterns and develop their outfits. This is true added value that highlights French expertise and a unique vision. They use the best suppliers from all around the world to go from design to production.

“Fashion isn’t just about putting on clothes, balancing colours and combining materials. How you dress represents expression, application, freedom and conquest. Breaking the norm or embracing it. Fighting battles and winning them.”

The Claudie Manifesto

The brand is committed to ethical working practices and sustainability, and have a look at “Claudie Cares” to find out more about this.

2. Sézane

Sézane is one of the most popular French Fashion Brands and is especially known for its beautiful knits at affordable prices, and chic designs.

brands french women love
Shirt from Sézane

Sezane was created just ten years ago by Morgane Sézalory , who started her online journey by selling vintage finds on eBay and, in a matter of years, turned it into her hugely popular brand, which epitomises French chic.

She originally started by customising her vintage finds and selling these online with the brand name “Les Composantes”, and then in 2013 she complemented these pieces with her own design and Sézane was born!

5 Fashion Brands French Women love.
Top from Sézane, Skirt by Sandro

In the beginning Sézane pieces were only available online (in fact, it was the first label in France to launch an online store), which enabled them to offer quality pieces at accessible prices.

Sézane opened its first bricks and mortar store, “L’Appartement” in Paris, open from Tuesday to Saturday, in 2015 and has subsequently opened more stores in Paris, as well as Bordeaux, Lille and Aix-en-Provence in France. International Stores include Notting Hill, London, New York and San Francisco, as well as pop-up stores in Brussels and Amsterdam, and of course, you can still purchase online! You can find the list of their stores and opening hours here.

Have a look at my favorite pieces below, and just click on the relevant image to find out more:

In 2017, “Demain” was born, a charity program to support equal opportunities for children all around the world, and the brand also has a charity shop in Paris (opened in 2018), where lovers of the brand can purchase items from photo shoots and fittings at reduced prices and all the proceeds go to the “Demain” program.  

The brand is committed to ethical working practices and sustainability, and their customer service is exemplary.

3. BA&SH

A shared love for fashion and a close friendship led to the launch of French lifestyle brand Ba&Sh, 20 years ago. Best friends Barbara Boccara and Sharon Krief took the leap in 2003, and with no formal fashion training, they established their brand, Ba&Sh (the name derives from the first letters of their first names if you hadn’t already worked it out!).

Their idea was based on bringing their dream wardrobe to life so that they could share it with women all over the world, and it is truly a brand created “by women for women.”

Skirt from Ba&Sh

The signature style is a mix of their own personal aesthetics, a floaty bohemian with a touch of rock and roll, and their timeless, chic and effortless collections capture the understated elegance of French style perfectly.

Have a look at my picks below, and just click on the relevant image to find out more.

They are now stocked in over 400 stores internationally, including the UK and the US, as well as online, offering women worldwide a timeless, wardrobe, combining the right balance of femininity and sophistication for every occasion.

4. Maje

The brand is the brainchild of Judith Milgrom, who created Maje with the intent to create a brand that is evidently cross-generational, where women and their daughters share the pleasure of dressing.

“Twenty years ago, I created Maje for women like me. Women who constantly change. Who like to be elegant, but who won’t let others stop them from being who they are“

Judith Milgrom
Fashion Brands French Women Love
Coat by Maje

Maje is a brand for active women who want to be able to transition seamlessly from a day in the office to an evening out without changing their clothes in between.

Maje reinvents the idea of the uninhibited Parisian woman, a woman who is comfortable with her decisions, choosing to be elegant one day, vivacious the next, and then funny, then mysterious, but always captivating… A woman who is fundamentally free.

5. THE OUTNET

If you feel like all of the brands in this gallery are too expensive, then The Outnet will be your saviour, as they offer over 350 designer fashion brands at exceptional prices on both Womenswear and Menswear. 

As they deliver worldwide, and have a large selection of brands, it is also a great site to find brands that are not present in your area.

The OUTNET, a luxury fashion outlet, stands as a premier online destination for fashion enthusiasts seeking high-end designer pieces at discounted prices. Launched by the NET-A-PORTER group, The Outnet curates a meticulously selected collection featuring renowned fashion labels.

THE OUTNET provides its customers with a mix of past-season and in-season items. Past-season products are sold on THE OUTNET at a lower price compared to the original price they were first sold at through other physical and/or online retailers.

You can find all the brands mentioned above (with the exception of Sezane) and many more at discounted prices on The Outnet Site.

Have a look below for my favorite picks from The Outnet, and just click on the relevant image to find out more.

Other French Brands you should know about and some of which I’m sure you already do!

  • Rouje, launched in 2016 by Jeanne Damas (here)
  • Musier, created in March 2018 by Anne-Laure Mais (here)
  • Jacquemus, created in 2009 by Simon Porte Jacquemus (here)
  • Gerard Darel, The brand’s first shop opened its doors in Saint-Germain-des-Prés in 1987 (here)
  • Pablo, second company under the Gerard Darel umbrella (here)
  • KOOKAÏ, created in Paris in 1983 (here)
  • Isabel Marrant, created in 1995 by Isabel Marrant (here)
  • The Kooples , founded by brothers Alexandre, Laurent and Raphaël Elicha in 2008 (here )
  • Zadig & Voltaire, created in 1997 by Thierry Gillier (here)
  • Soeur, created by two sisters (deux sœurs -Domitille et Angélique) (here)
  • Petit Bateau, iconic French brand, founded in 1920, but whose origins date back to 1893, in Troyes (here)
  • Antonelle, created in 1988 in Paris (here)
  • Comptoir des Cotonniers, created in 1995 (here)
  • La Petite Etoile, founded in Paris in 2014 (here)
  • La Feé Maraboutée, founded in 1996 in Roanne (here)
  • Tara Jarmon, based in Paris and founded in 1985 (here)
  • Grace and Mila, launched in Paris in 2011 (here)
  • Gaâla, Paris based Slow fashion (here)

Obviously, this list is not exhaustive, so please let me know your favourite brands in the comments.

Designer Fashion Brands French Women love

And, of course, there are all the designer French brands that are renowned for their Parisian chic, such as :

Final words about 5 Fashion Brands French Women love

Reading back through this, I’ve just realised how lucky I am to live in France! However, you can get most of the brands online and worldwide.

I hope you enjoyed this feature about 5 Fashion Brands French Women love, and if so, I would really appreciate it if you would share it wherever you can!!  You can do this by saving any of the images to your Pinterest board or clicking on one of the icons below the post to share to Twitter, Facebook or Linked’In. You can also share the post by email by clicking on the icon below if you know anyone who would like to find out more about French Fashion Brands.

I will be back soon with more style, lifestyle and travel inspiration and don’t forget to subscribe to make sure you never miss a post,

Look good, feel good, live your best life 🙂

With love,

The Velvet Runway participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means I may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through some but not all of my links to retailer sites. However, you will never pay more for any product via these links.