These 11 Lesser-Known French Brands Are Fashion's Best-Kept Secrets
I often find myself conflicted between wanting to tell you about all the amazing buys and brands I see on my travels and wanting to keep them somewhat hush-hush. Not from you, of course, but from the masses, who might cause an item to sell out before I can get my hands on it or a cool, independent brand I was smug about stumbling across to suddenly be everywhere overnight. This is selfish, I know. What can I say? There's light and dark in all of us. Still, I have no hesitation in sharing my latest findings. It turns out some things are too good to keep to yourself.
Like me, many of Who What Wear UK's readers are self-confessed Francophiles, persons with an appreciation for all things French. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm borderline obsessed with French style, French influencers, and just about anything that can help me achieve the je ne sais quoi they have when it comes to getting dressed. I buy a lot of my clothes from French brands, and even when I don't, they very much look the Gallic part. So imagine my excitement when my editor, Emma Spedding, asked me to track down the best lesser-known French brands. Challenge accepted.
While there are a couple you might have heard of or perhaps even have a piece from (you must be a fashion devotee if you've found yourself here, after all), the majority of the brands I found are still relatively unknown on Brit soil. So if you're prepared for the influx of compliments you're sure to get when you step out in an item that oozes French appeal, scroll below to discover 11 lesser-known French brands you'll love.
1. MIRAE
SHOP MIRAE:
2. MUSIER
SHOP MUSIER:
3. MICHEL VIVIEN
SHOP MICHEL VIVIEN:
4. BOUGUESSA
SHOP BOUGUESSA:
5. LUXE PROVENCE
SHOP LUXE PROVENCE:
6. COPERNI
SHOP COPERNI:
7. IMPARFAITE PARIS
SHOP IMPARFAITE PARIS:
8. MARCIA
SHOP MARCIA:
9. LES MAINS DE MAMIE
SHOP LES MAINS DE MAMIE:
10. MAISONCLÉO
SHOP MAISONCLÉO:
11. ROUJE
SHOP ROUJE:
Next Up: French Women Always Seem to Wear These Classic Sneakers
Maxine Eggenberger is Who What Wear UK’s deputy editor and has over thirteen years of experience in fashion journalism. She been creating engaging and elevated style content specifically for Who What Wear UK since 2018, covering runway reports, emerging trends, long-form features, self-styled shopping stories and columns, including her edit of the best new-in buys. She ensures the highest editorial standards are met across the site, leads the editorial team in their SEO strategy and keyword planning, works closely with the beauty team on content initiatives, represents the brand at industry events, and regularly contributes to social media, including her own Who What Wear UK TikTok franchise, French Style Fridays. Previously, Maxine appeared on ITV's This Morning in her own fashion segment and has interviewed countless celebrities—everyone from Victoria Beckham to Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o.
Prior to Who What Wear UK, Maxine’s career began when, after completing her first-ever internship at Look magazine, she was offered a position on the brand's fashion desk. She accepted, leaving university a year early in the process. Her passion and natural talent for writing and styling meant she swiftly rose through the ranks to become the title's fashion news and commercial content editor, with a stint as InStyle.co.uk’s fashion and beauty writer along the way. She later served as Look’s acting Editor in Chief, overseeing both print and digital, before embarking on a successful freelance career, working with Grazia, The Pool, and Marie Claire amongst others.
Maxine is based remotely from her countryside home near Edinburgh where she spends her downtime renovating her house, walking her dogs, hosting friends and trying to master the art of making Old Fashioned cocktails.
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