National Measurement Campaign 2025: new foundations for a well-fitting garment
Thanks to its latest measurement campaign, IFTH reveals the new morphologies of the French. Brands and garment manufacturers benefit from more accurate data to create comfortable, long-lasting garments.
His last National Measurement Campaign (CNM) of the French population dates back to 2006. Since then, lifestyle habits and morphologies have evolved considerably. The IFTH (Institut français du textile habillement) has therefore just repeated the exercise, essential to enable garment makers and brands to manufacture and offer garments that combine ease and comfort. Objective: update data and tools to provide the right level of precision in grading designs.
To achieve the updated results, IFTH used even more advanced technological tools than in 2006, when it had already relied on the very latest 3D scanners. 9,000 adult avatars and 2.25 million adult measurement points were generated. Enough to build up rich libraries of morphological data, enabling brands to aim at precise targets.
Conducted from 2021 to early 2025 by IFTH in collaboration with the Université de Technologie de Tours (UTT) the "MOVE" project, an acronym for the development of a "MOdèle de Vieillissement d'Echantillon Target", used algorithmic tools to update the previous database using data from a new collection of "only" 4,000 people.
A necessary update
The results gathered validated the need for this update because in twenty years, French adults have both grown and gained weight. The average French woman is now 164.2 cm tall and weighs 65 kg. Her chest circumference has increased by a further cm, as have her waist and pelvis. As a result, one in two Women now dresses in sizes 40 to 44, one in three in 46 or over, and less than 20% in 38 or under. The average Frenchman is 3 centimetres taller than in 2006, while his average weight has remained stable. Their waist circumference is 91.5 cm (up two centimetres on 2006).
"Today, there are more very tall people than there were in 2006, with an average stature of 1.91m. This is still a niche market, but one that has made progress", notes François Pezeril, FabManager LE LAB by IFTH . "All this obviously has an impact on the definition of commercial sizes and consequently on the entire value chain, from design to item distribution".
A "Fashion" scale and a "General"
The raw data provided for the CNM 2025 at the end of the MOVE project could not be directly used by a Product development unit, they had to be "adjusted according to an arithmetical, coherent and linear progression, so as to guarantee a regular graduation, in line with industrialization requirements, while maintaining consistency with the existing commercial size system".
Two strategies were deployed to standardize the new Women's scales. In order not to change the habits of patternmakers accustomed to designing their garments for a "medium and large" target population (around 10.4 million individuals), IFTH produced a first scale, known as the "Fashion" scale.
Better reflect today's Women
The second scale, known as "General", takes into account all adult French women (around 21.6 million), thanks to a gradation that truly respects morphological evolution in height (average stature of 164.2 cm). "The old 2006 scale dressed only 46% of the population. This General scale, which better reflects today's women, may, for example, be of interest to a company offering very close-fitting sportswear"souls Hafida Boulahoite.
Companies can choose one of these two anthropometric booklets (men and women) now available for sale. "With this new data and 3D CAD tools, we'll be able to customize an avatar's measurements in relation to its target customer right down to visualizing the areas that are most stressed and/or fitted to the body, or even over-fitted (crotch, seams...), and leading to discomfort and durability problems in use", explains François Pezeril.
For garment makers, the introduction of new scales is not neutral. "Either the workshop has its own product development unit, which will have to develop its patternmaking base to adapt to morphological evolutions. Or it will receive technical industrialization files from its principals, with patternmaking files that have evolved" explains Hafida Boulahoite. This better adaptation to reality will have an impact on material consumption, thanks to an optimized cutting plan.
Improving profitability with Explored
For principals, the efficiency of using the new scales will be increased tenfold with the Explored application, also developed by IFTH. This tool for exploring and optimizing scales based on 2025 data enables brands to gain more detailed morphological knowledge of their target market. To ensure that their clothing collections are adapted to their customer base, the size grids developed must truly reflect the morphology of individuals.
"Our Explored method enables us to have a size scale adapted to the target. This opens up the discussion between market managers and designers, so that we have the sizes that really sell and in the right quantities", explains Guy Scemama. According to him, all brands that have used an optimization tool have seen an improvement in profitability.
Generally speaking,"good knowledge of 2025 sizes will enable brands to better understand their target market shares and coverage rates, to position themselves in relation to other brands and to project themselves into new markets".
On an international level too, Explored is invaluable. IFTH relies on the Isize network, bringing together morphological data from all over the world (Europe, USA, China, South Korea, Canada, etc.).
Minimizing the risk of managing returns
The CNM 2025 promises to be an additional asset for Made in France and its principals, by optimizing product fit. " Ill-fitting garments represent a return risk for brands in the age of phygital, or even direct to consumer. This can lead to customer dissatisfaction and a drop in direct sales", stresses François Pezeril. He cites edifying European and American statistics: the return rate for brands ordered via the Internet is around 20%, more than half of which is due to problems of ill-fitting sizes! Yet the cost of a returned garment is around €10 to €15... "Not to mention the ecological cost of returns to be measured in terms of CO2 released". Competitiveness and sustainability are therefore at the heart of the matter.
The first CNM 2025 anthropometric booklet targeting adult Women has been available from IFTH since November 3, 2025. The men's booklet is currently being finalized and will be published in December. IFTH also offers additional technical support to better understand these new scales.
GOOD DEAL: Until 12/31/2025 : get 10% off CNM2025 offers
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