La Maison du Savoir-Faire et de la Création and Promas, the French office for the promotion of men’s clothing, are launching Trait d’Union. This unique acceleration program, carried out in partnership with the Groupement de la Fabrication Française and with the support of DEFI, aims to reconnect five fashion brands with French clothing workshops. Interested companies have until November 3 to apply on the traitdunion-mode.fr platform.
As the Salon du Made in France (MIFexpo) prepares to open its doors for four days starting November 6, Trait d’Union, an accelerator program launched by La Maison du Savoir-Faire et de la Création and Promas, the French office for the promotion of men’s clothing, is calling for applications.
The goal: to identify and support five fashion players committed to developing made in France products, with a minimum of 30% of their production.
A unique program
Designed as an operational accelerator, Trait d’Union aims to support five creative French brands in the development of their Spring-Summer 2027 collections, starting in January 2026, with a clear objective: to produce at least 30% of their collections in France.
This unprecedented program is led by Promas, in collaboration with the Maison du Savoir-Faire et de la Création, the Groupement de la Fabrication Française (members of the UFIMH) and supported by the DEFI. It seeks to reconnect French fashion brands with local manufacturing workshops, promoting modern clothing trades as drivers of innovation, desire, and support for creation.
The five selected companies will have the opportunity to benefit from 12 months of tailored strategic and operational support.
Individual coaching (collection structuring, positioning, product strategy), direct contact with the French workshops best suited to their collections, financial assessment (including needs and price structuring), marketing support (storytelling, image, press and digital activation) and advice on commercial strategy and distribution are all part of the program.
Specific candidate profiles
However, this demanding yet generous program is not open to just any young start-up.
On the contrary, Trait d’Union is primarily intended for established French players. Indeed, three pillars determine selection: financial solidity (turnover of more than €500,000), commercial structuring of the brand, and the relevance of the creative and industrial project, particularly in its ability to integrate significant Made in France production.
A sensitive narrative of Made in France
Beyond its support program, Trait d’Union also highlights the gestures, faces, and voices of those who create and manufacture fashion in France. To achieve this, Trait d’Union offers a variety of editorial formats, including a documentary series for the general public, portraits of designers, workshop meetings, and immersive videos.
The idea is to showcase a vibrant, inventive, and deeply human industry. As a reminder, according to a study conducted by DEFI and the French Fashion Institute (IFM) in 2024, the share of Made in France products is estimated at 79 million items, or 3.3% of the French fashion market in terms of volume. The industry continues to face a glass ceiling where the purchasing intentions of French consumers (between 70 and 80% say they are “interested” in products made in France) clash with inflation and declining purchasing power.
The luxury sector is not immune to this crisis in French manufacturing: the last French shoemaker, Robert Clergerie, which went into liquidation in April, was finally bought out by a buyer keen to relocate production.
Read also > Clergerie and Smalto: buyers, but not for their Made in France
Featured photo: Ramses Cervantes/Unsplash
