PARIS — Following in the footsteps of French brands such as Vanessa Bruno and APC, a new generation of contemporary designers is emerging here, building businesses and opening boutiques featuring stylish confections at reasonable prices.
Their arrival brings a fresh dose of vitality to the European middle market — a segment that not long ago many decried as doomed, squashed in the vise grip of fast-fashion giants like Zara and Hennes & Mauritz and the booming luxury sector.
“When I started to plan for the launch of my brand, everyone kept telling me it wasn’t smart, that the middle was dying,” said David Chemla, the designer who runs Ch. Ind., which sells embroidered cotton blouses at 100 euros, or $121, and printed dresses at 200 euros, or $242.
“I asked myself why people had lost faith in the middle,” Chemla said. “Was it a question of price? I figured it was more of a question of style. I thought that it was important to bring a high-end feeling at a more interesting price.”
With more designers here sharing similar thoughts, it seems that the bet to move into the contemporary zone has been wise. After all, in recent years few young designers targeting the designer segment have been able to turn media hype into real cash. As a result, fewer seem to want to lock horns with luxury’s monster brands.
Wanda Herbert, who designs the Nocollection brand here, with prices that run from 50 euros, or $60, for a cotton top, to 250 euros, or $302, to a print dress, said her motivation was to offer a counterpoint to the fast-fashion bulldozer.
“There is a client for fashion with a high level of creativity at an attractive price,” she said of her three-year-old brand. “I started to see so many girls in the same Zara dress, for example, a few years ago. I feel that women want more personality now.”
Last September, Herbert opened her first Nocollection shop here, on the burgeoning Rue Vieille du Temple in the trendy Marais district, which over the last few months has become a magnet for new contemporary boutiques.
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Ch. Ind opened its first shop on the same street last October, and contemporary stalwarts such as Vanessa Bruno, APC and Madame a Paris all have added their own boutiques to the street in recent months.
This month, contemporary brand Manoush, which sells tops at 100 euros, or $121, and blousons at 300 euros, or $363, opened on the street, too.
Founded two years ago by three friends who felt there weren’t enough stylish clothes at affordable prices, it already has 250 clients around the world, including Bloomingdale’s in New York and Paris’ Bon Marché.
“The competition is fierce in the middle market,” said Julien Kouhana, who heads Manoush’s business dealings. “But if you have a real point of view with a clearly defined style there is room. We’re not trying to compete with Zara and H&M. We are a fashion brand, but [are] also about a style, which is girly, chic and with a sense of humor.”
Kouhana pinpointed the flourishing of contemporary brands here to changes in fashion and the fact that women mix high and low brands together without a second thought.
“The true fashion customer mixes brands up to make her own look,” he said. “That means one of our typical customers could buy a Chloé top and mix it with a Manoush skirt. Or mix Manoush with Zara. Who knows?”
“It’s interesting that so many contemporary brands have been created here recently,” said Herbert at Nocollection, which is sold in about 80 doors, including Ludivine and Calypso in New York. “Girls want creativity and something more unique, but they don’t want to pay a high price.” To prove her point, she said her sales increased 30 percent last year, although she declined to give a total sales figure.
Many of the newcomers said they add value with exclusive prints and high-quality European fabrics. Some even produce in France, where they have a closer view on production and quality.
“What we try to do is make fashion,” said Chemla, whose brand had 1.5 million euros, or $1.8 million, in sales, last year. “I also want to make clothes that a girl can wear, that have a style, but that are almost classic. A great compliment for me is that a girl can wear last summer’s shirt this summer.”