Le Slip Français’ New Factory: A Revolution in French Textile Manufacturing
A Confession from Bruno Le Maire
"For this event, I put on my best outfit, including something I can’t show you: my Le Slip Français underwear. They’re high-quality, elegant, and alluring. My wife appreciates them a lot… Next time, make shirts. It’s easier to promote them in person," joked Bruno Le Maire, former Minister of Economy.
Nicolas Dufourcq’s Plea for Renewed Underwear Purchases
Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of Bpifrance, also present to support the new factory, urged French citizens to renew their underwear annually instead of every two years, as is the average.
The Collaboration and Challenges of Guillaume Gibault
The three men have a strong bond dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic when Guillaume Gibault, founder of Le Slip Français, tirelessly mobilized textile companies to produce masks.
Despite this, manufacturing textiles in France remains complex, and Le Slip Français, established in 2011, is no exception. In spring 2024, Gibault was forced to reassess his strategy after a 10% decline in revenue in 2022 and 2023. His €40 briefs were deemed too expensive by consumers.
"After 13 years of operation, we were on the brink of collapse. We didn’t know how to pay the salaries of our 90 employees," he recalled.
The Affordable (R)evolution
To attract a broader audience, Gibault launched the (R)évolution line of briefs and boxers in April 2024. Priced at half the cost with equal quality, it necessitated increased production volume and an order of 400,000 units from subcontractors, compared to 5,000-10,000 units for other lines.
It was a make-or-break moment. "It’s sink or swim," Gibault had warned. Although the company with €20 million in revenue was not yet breaking even by the end of 2024, the (R)évolution briefs and boxers had boosted sales, leading Gibault to believe he had found the right business model.
The Expertise of Léa Marie and Bruno Haddad
To implement this solution, Gibault enlisted the help of his newly recruited CEO, Léa Marie. A skilled engineer, she brings decades of experience in the textile industry globally.
In the same year she joined Le Slip Français, Marie met Bruno Haddad, a seasoned textile executive with experience in establishing factories in Morocco and Tunisia for major brands.
Both believe it’s possible to manufacture competitively in France. In 2022, they conceived the idea of a factory with a short production cycle: the Bonne Nouvelle project.
The Innovative Bonne Nouvelle Factory
"We presented the project to major industrial and banking partners, but it didn’t fit their criteria," said Marie. Gibault partnered with Myriam Mentfakh, Marie’s former classmate and founder of LeLabPlus, a consulting firm specializing in sustainability.
The four founding partners self-financed the €100,000 investment in machinery, which they gradually expanded.
The highly automated 500 m² factory, located a short drive from Aubervilliers town hall, currently employs 40 full-time employees, paid an average of 25% above minimum wage. The sewing machine operators are recruited locally and possess versatile skills. "In two years, the factory will employ 300 people," Marie asserts.
The staff works with machines that significantly expedite the nine-step process of making a boxer brief. For instance, there’s a device that attaches the elastic waistband to the underwear body.
"I’ve been making briefs in France for 14 years, and no other factory in the country has this type of machine," claims Gibault. As a manufacturing expert, Haddad serves as president of Bonne Nouvelle, tasked with sourcing machinery. "He’s an exceptional technician. He researches machines on TikTok and has them delivered to the factory," says Gibault.
A Shift in Product Design
This year, the SME will manufacture 30% of its products at Bonne Nouvelle while continuing to work with existing subcontractors. It aims to produce 700,000 briefs and boxers in 2025, priced the same as the two (R)évolution models.
To extend these prices to all lines, Gibault has also redesigned his products, focusing on design, patterns, and sewing processes. "Design is crucial for saving time and raw material, which is expensive," stresses Marie.
A Future for the French Textile Industry
For now, only Le Slip Français is manufacturing at Aubervilliers, but Haddad hopes to welcome other brands by 2026. Mentfakh emphasized that the goal of the four partners with this factory is to "establish an industry capable of meeting the demands of industrial volumes while remaining competitive."
Gibault used the occasion to announce that starting March 5th, his brand’s T-shirts, pajamas, and socks would also be half-priced.
