Tremble New York, London, Milan and Paris! The fashion world now has its eyes fixed on Guidel, a seaside town of 12,000 inhabitants in Morbihan. While Shein and Temu are shaking up the textile industry sector, causing the disappearance of many French brands, diehards are still resisting the invader in Brittany. Among them, Le Minor, a century-old brand of marine clothing, 100% made in Brittany, which has decided to launch its own Fashion Week from this Thursday February 26 to Saturday 28, Gwidel Fashion Week, in partnership with three other Breton brands: Maison Figura, Boem and Manufacture Bontemps.
“In the face of fast fashion, another model is possible! »
On the program for these three days dedicated to responsible and sustainable fashion: sewing demonstrations, embroidery workshops and a general public fashion show which is being held this Friday at the Le Minor factory store. No stars announced or Front row reserved for prominent personalities and yet the event is already sold out. “We were victims of our success with a number of 200 people reached in 72 hours,” explains Sylvain Flet, one of the two co-directors of the Le Minor brand which he took over in 2018.
“Our brand is 104 years old and is doing quite well with growth of 24% over the last four months. Given the ultra-competitive situation with fast fashion and the decline in the purchasing power of the French, we are happy. We are succeeding in doing well by showing that another model is possible with a high-end, quality and sustainable positioning,” adds Sylvain Flet.
For the four brands, these days are an opportunity to offer a vision of locally made fashion, based on ancient know-how, with a reasonable rhythm of collections. On the fashion show podium, no poor quality clothing, accessories or shoes, immediately bought, immediately thrown away. “Our products are solid and repairable. They last over time,” insists Sylvain Flet, who wants to restore meaning to fashion.
“Our customers prefer less but better”
A value that he shares with Caroline Buisson who created her brand Maison Figura by moving to Lorient three years ago, following a reconversion. It offers interior clothing made in France as well as decorative objects. “Our customers are women who are more conscious of their bodies, who prefer timeless, well-cut clothing with qualitative compositions. They are not in the accumulation. They prefer less but better,” says Caroline.
After launching online, the New Breton realized that she wanted to stand out by favoring physical sales. “With the high end, people need to be reassured and see the product. » In addition to ephemeral pop-ups, the entrepreneur now wants to bring apartment sales up to date. A little more human, less digital and window dressing. “I’ve always liked going against the grain,” she slips. Isn’t it the nature of fashion to constantly reinvent itself?