French Minister Olivia Grégoire outlines plan for fashion industry during visit to Italy

During her visit to Italy, Olivia Grégoire, France’s Minister for Small and Medium Businesses, Trade, Crafts and Tourism, outlined to FashionNetwork.com her “plan for the fashion industry,” which she intends to present by the summer, probably in June. Grégoire’s exploratory mission on April 15-17, a fact-finding trip to complement the plan she is drawing up, led her to meet representatives of Italian labels, producers and major groups, as well as public authorities, taking her to Prato and Florence, in Tuscany, and Milan and Como, in Lombardy.

“This trip was designed to underpin our assessment of the fashion industry, and especially textiles manufacturing, in view of our plan. The goal was to understand how the Italian industry works, so as to draw inspiration from its best practices, and see how brands and their subcontractors interact. Taking advantage of Milan Design Week, I broadened my scope to include this sector too,” said Grégoire.

Over time, Italy has established itself as the factory of Europe for high-end ready-to-wear and textiles, and its manufacturers are producing for all the major French luxury labels. Italy’s manufacturing sector is ramified across the country, with regional hubs specialised in footwear, silk, knitwear, etc., featuring small, highly specialised producers, workshops and ateliers with a long-established tradition of artisanal expertise. Italy is the largest producer of fashion and textiles in Europe, through a sector comprising 60,000 companies which generated an aggregate revenue of more than €100 billion in 2023. Above all, Italian SMEs have been the first to focus on sustainability, investing heavily in innovation.

This is of particular interest to Grégoire, who said: “I came to see how Italian fashion players are making progress on innovation, to better understand the synergies that can be achieved with France, to observe how they invest, how these factories and associated producers work, and what their contribution is at each stage.” While “France is an example to Italy in terms of training initiatives and investments in apprenticeship,” given that a  shortage of skilled specialists is a matter of great concern in Italy, for its part, “Italy is an inspiration for [France] in terms of sustainability innovation, especially when it comes to supply chain traceability,” said Grégoire.

During her three-day tour de force, Grégoire met, among others, silk manufacturer Ratti; Tuscan fabric and apparel producer Beste, of the HModa group; Pattern Group, a specialist in research, engineering and manufacturing of luxury garments; luxury manufacturing consortium Gruppo Florence; and representatives of local fashion industry associations. She also visited the Polimoda fashion academy in Florence and Kering’s Material Innovation Lab, and met with several French exhibitors at the Milan Furniture Fair.

“France and Italy can play a strong hand together, working side by side. We are facing common challenges in the textiles and apparel sectors, in terms of innovation, sustainability, traceability and supply chain security. Not to mention the competitiveness of European companies. At the institutional level, we shall work to promote synergies between the two countries,” said Grégoire, who was delighted to have made “many contacts, allowing me to develop a point of view that I will present to French SMEs.”

As for Grégoire’s “fashion plan,” its content and details are still being defined. Nevertheless, the Minister emphasised its significance: “It’s a question of recognising the importance of this business sector [for France]. A strategic sector for the [French] economy, worth €150 billion in revenue, with an added value of €36 billion, directly and indirectly involving nearly one million jobs,” she said.

“For decades, no one has reflected on the extent of the challenges facing the fashion industry as a whole, nor drawn up any kind of public policy. Our plan is an entirely new type of approach,” said Grégoire, outlining the main issues she intends to address. “The plan is designed to better identify and support small emerging brands with high potential, to better nurture young up-and-coming designers and new brands, via professional training too, to strengthen the fashion industry’s competitiveness, from brands to ateliers, to meet the innovation challenge faced by these ateliers, and to assess how to foster the growth of the subcontractors and workshops that are the backbone of the fashion supply chain in France,” said Grégoire.

Supporting young talents

“Top-notch designers and producers already exist in France. The idea is to see how we could go further, how we could accelerate the emergence of young talents. How to spread and finance innovation throughout France’s network of workshops and subcontractors. Finally, how to support these SMEs so that they remain competitive,” added Grégoire.

Another major project relating to the fashion sector is expected to become a reality in France soon: the law against fast fashion advocated by Christophe Béchu, the Minister for ecological transition. The bill was unanimously approved on first reading in the [French Parliament’s lower chamber] on March 14. It must now be examined by the Senate, where the debate has not yet been scheduled. These two crucial initiatives for the fashion industry are likely to overlap in the coming months.

“The fashion plan is an in-depth structural support plan that will cover a wealth of aspects. I’m not worried about a clash with the bill aimed at reducing the fashion industry’s environmental impact, which is a topical issue,” said Grégoire.