Trait d'Union: call for applications to create and shape tomorrow's fashion
The Trait d'Union call for applications was launched on October 8. On the initiative of PROMAS, the Maison du Savoir-Faire et de la Création (MSFC) and the Groupement de la Fabrication Française (GFF), members of the UFIMH and with the support of DEFI. This new program will enable five creative, committed French fashion brands to benefit from personalized, high-quality support as they move towards the Fabriqué en France.
"Reactivating the sometimes forgotten dialogue between designers and manufacturers, essential to the story of a Made in France garment": this is the aim of Trait d'Union, the brand-new program designed to support "fashion brands in a more local, responsible and committed production approach, by facilitating concrete collaborations with French contract manufacturers with exceptional savoir-faire", expresses Hervé Huchet, PROMAS International Director.
The Call for applications was launched on October 8 and will close at midnight on November 3, enabling the selection of five creative French brands to benefit from this "Trait d'Union".
A development opportunity for French brands
The project is supported by both PROMAS, the Office de Promotion de l'Habillement Masculin, a member of the Union Française des Industries Mode & Habillement (UFIMH), in collaboration with the Maison du Savoir-Faire et de la Création (MSFC), the Groupement de la Fabrication Française (GFF) and with the support of DEFI. Represented on a jury which will meet on November 21 - and in front of which the shortlisted brands will present their projects - these various structures will choose the 5 winners, who will be made official on November 27. Trait d'Union is due to get underway on January 6, 2026!
At stake: a made-to-measure program deployed over the course of a year, with the aim of "facilitating collaborations between brands and contract manufacturers to produce their Spring-Summer 2027 collections". In short, personalized coaching for "brands that want to make beautiful, fair and French"! Not only will the lucky winners be assisted "step by step in their local production approach, combining creative rigor and mastery of gesture", but they will also benefit from the mainstream media visibility given to the program. For the Made In France brand-manufacturer pairing, the operation is "win-win".
Tailored support
"We will give the five selected fashion brands the keys to success for the development, production and distribution of their collection, and we'll be promoting these companies that have made the Fabriqué en France choice. Our aim is also to forge lasting links between creative brands and French contract manufacturers, while promoting the exceptional savoir-faire of the region's garment making workshops to fashion brands and the general public", stresses Sylvie Maignan, head of the MSFC.
In fact, the five winners of the program will have access to 12 months of coaching and masterclasses given by several experts on the subjects of sourcing, collection management and production, as well as marketing, financial and sales strategies. At the heart of the program will be a team of three coaches dedicated respectively to project audit and coordination, production, and wholesale and retail. This support will be "tailor-made" for each brand, enabling it to address the issues identified during the audit phase. It will include operational follow-up to ensure the long-term structuring of collections in line with French garment making.
Application criteria
To be eligible to apply, several conditions must be met: be a French fashion brand at least three years old, with sales of €500,000 H.T in 2024, show a positive balance sheet and be up to date with its DEFI tax. It may not yet have had any designs manufactured in France, but it must undertake to produce at least one third of the sales excluding VAT of its future P/E 27 collection (Men, Women or Unisex) in France, with one or more partner contract manufacturers. Which collection must offer a minimum of 60% warp and weft.
As for contract manufacturers: A call for expressions of interest
This deployment of Made in France will involve qualified introductions to French manufacturing professionals recognized for the excellence of their savoir-faire, which will be provided by the GFF and MSFC teams. A call for expressions of interest will be issued by these two players to the 300-plus contract manufacturers listed on the Maison du Savoir-Faire et de la Création platform, in order to obtain the ideal "brand-maker" combinations. This process, accompanied by personalized consulting in the choice of the right partners, aims to foster committed collaborations that are consistent with the needs of the selected prizewinners. As such, a tripartite moral commitment charter between the brand, the manufacturer and the organizers will be signed.
A public ambition: Made in France, a source of creativity
Finally, Trait d'Union includes a consumer communications plan that will promote Made in France, giving the spotlight to participating brands and contract manufacturers. The Trait d'Union program aims to break the perception codes of Made in France, by presenting a qualitative and creative image that blends the heritage of savoir-faire with the modernity of contract manufacturers' production facilities. A communications campaign will"follow the intersecting paths of brands and manufacturers in a narrative spirit through audiovisual content broadcast on social networks". Photos, videos and other vlogs from workshops and designers will also put faces to French manufacturing and design. A highly visible way, on the ground, to publicize the operation and the talent of these players.
"Trait d'Union doesn't seek to reinvent fashion, but to re-enchant it. By promoting the creativity of brands and the savoir-faire of French workshops, by encouraging relocation, and by focusing on collaboration and transparency. The program sketches out a new fashion culture, one of time, gesture and connection", Sylvie Maignan, manager of the Maison du Savoir-Faire et de la Création.
