Read on FashionNetwork.comFrench Fashion Retail Faces Headwinds: Textile and Clothing Sales Decline in 2025
Provisional data from the Institut Français de la Mode reveals a 1.7% decline in French textile and clothing sales for 2025, a reversal from the stability seen in 2024. The downturn was exacerbated by an unusually warm December, which saw a sharp 4.7% drop in offline sales, severely impacting traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. This analysis explores the sector's recent performance, the challenges faced by different retail channels, and the broader context of the French fashion market's trajectory.
The French fashion retail sector encountered a challenging year in 2025, with provisional figures indicating a notable contraction in sales. Following a period of relative stability, the market has shifted, presenting new hurdles for retailers across the country.
2025 Sales Performance: A Year of Decline
According to data from the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM), sales of textiles and clothing in France fell by 1.7% in 2025. This marks a significant departure from the previous year's performance, where the sector essentially held steady with a marginal increase of 0.1%. The 2025 decline continues a concerning trend for the industry, which also recorded a 1.3% drop between 2022 and 2023.
The Impact of an Unseasonably Warm December
A key factor contributing to the annual decline was a particularly difficult final month. December 2025 saw textile and clothing sales, excluding online channels, plummet by 4.7%. Meteorologists attributed this sharp drop to unseasonably mild weather, with temperatures recorded as 3.5 degrees Celsius above the 35-year average. This unusual warmth severely depressed consumer demand for typical winter items like long-sleeved clothing and heavier outerwear, disrupting traditional year-end sales patterns.
Brick-and-Mortar Retail Channels Under Pressure
The downturn spared no traditional retail format, but the impact was felt unevenly across different channels. Independent fashion retailers bore the brunt of the decline, experiencing a severe 6.8% drop in sales during December alone. This aligns with broader annual data from the Fédération Nationale de l'Habillement, which indicated a 2.3% sales drop for independents in 2025.
Department stores and popular variety stores (such as Monoprix) also faced significant challenges, recording a 4.7% decline for the month. Specialist clothing chains saw sales fall by 4.2%. Mass-market chains, including brands like Kiabi and Gémo, demonstrated slightly more resilience but still contracted, managing to limit their December decline to 3.1%.
Context and Industry Outlook
The 2025 figures stand in stark contrast to the stability achieved in 2024, which was welcomed by the industry after the previous year's decline. The data from IFM is provisional and will be supplemented with online sales figures, which may paint a more complete picture of total consumer spending. Other industry reports corroborate the challenging environment. The Procos federation for specialist retail reported an overall sector contraction of 0.8% for 2025, with clothing specifically down 4.5%.
The convergence of factors—an overarching market slowdown compounded by specific adverse weather events—highlights the vulnerability of the fashion retail sector to both economic and environmental variables. As consumer habits continue to evolve and external pressures mount, retailers must adapt their strategies to navigate an increasingly complex landscape.
