MAISON DES SAVOIR FAIRE ET DE LA CREATION AT THE PALAIS DE TOKYO

The Maison du Savoir-Faire et de la Création was founded in 2011. Fifteen years on, what are its new challenges?

Since its creation, the MSFC has established itself as a tool for structuring and promoting French manufacturing. Today, we naturally continue to showcase the richness and diversity of French craftsmanship in the clothing sector to national and international fashion players, the latter representing 20 percent of our visitors. However, the stakes are evolving in a tense international context. We are committed to promoting Made in France, which has become a genuine economic imperative. We help brands prioritise more responsible, local production by facilitating qualified connections and supporting the transmission and appeal of garment-making professions that create both jobs and value.

In a challenging economic context, what results has the platform achieved in promoting French manufacturers and production workshops?

France has been fortunate to preserve an industrial fabric of 450 clothing manufacturers representing 11,000 jobs, with production generating a turnover of approximately 600 million euros. As for the platform, which lists over 600 companies across the country, it now represents the largest qualified database in the sector promoting French garment manufacturing, and remains free of charge as part of our public interest mission. Concretely, it brings new business to workshops, facilitates initial contact between brands and manufacturers, gives visibility to companies whose expertise is often little known, and showcases the diversity of France's industrial fabric. In a shifting environment, it acts as a gateway to local manufacturing, particularly for creative brands and those partially relocating their production. The platform currently brings together:

• Over 600 French manufacturing professionals (fashion and clothing, all specialities and regions combined).
• Over 700 user brands, both French and international.
• More than 32,000 visits in 2025, reflecting strong and sustained momentum.
• More than 200 connections made, with high satisfaction rates: 83% among brands and 73% among manufacturers.

These figures illustrate brands' growing interest in quality French production that is sustainable and value-driven, at a time when traceability, short supply chains and responsibility are becoming central concerns in fashion.

How is the context different from the early days? 

In 2011, relocation appeared as an activist or heritage issue. Today, it has become strategic for French and international brands seeking short supply chains to limit their carbon footprint, volume control to avoid overstocking, enhanced traceability and a stronger CSR commitment, thereby strengthening customer trust and providing the agility needed to navigate increasingly uncertain markets. Brands now come to produce in France to build lasting relationships with industrial partners, benefit from exceptional expertise and enjoy indisputable quality.

Which sectors are most concerned?

The players producing in France are mainly luxury houses, high-end and premium brands that make French craftsmanship a hallmark of their prestige. There is also growing interest from emerging designers who can afford the cost of Made in France.

What makes the clothing sector distinctive?

It is a sector where value rests as much on creation as on mastering gestures, technical skill, and constant adaptation. French workshops stand out for their embodiment of “making,” the tangible and the long timeframe required to learn these crafts. They tell human and heritage stories with strong regional roots. They have the capacity to work on small and medium runs as well as larger ones, with extremely high quality standards, direct proximity to brands and a production flexibility that is rare on an international scale. It's also a sector that is very advanced in CSR, thanks to French and European regulations, and whose workshops have turned this into a competitive advantage.

Your main missions? 

Affiliated with UFIMH and funded by DEFI, the Maison du Savoir-Faire et de la Création is dedicated to promoting the industrial and artisanal expertise of France's clothing sector. Through its digital magazine, referencing platform and personalised advice, the MSFC highlights French manufacturers and garment-making workshops and facilitates connections between brands and manufacturing professionals. By strengthening the sector, the MSFC plays a full part in the revival of France's fashion and clothing industry, at a time when relocation issues are more relevant than ever.

Of the 600 companies listed, which are linked to fashion? 

The vast majority are directly involved in fashion and clothing: woven fabric manufacturers, knitwear, lingerie, tailoring, soft construction, leather, sportswear, technical pieces or luxury. Added to these are design studios, textile finishing workshops (dyeing, treatments, etc.) and customisation (embroiderers, printers, etc.), as well as French manufacturers of textile materials and components. 

What are the current challenges? 

The first is to make the sector's technical professions attractive and promote relevant training programmes, in order to maintain and transmit expertise in workshops that have constant recruitment needs. A second challenge concerns innovation to improve the competitiveness of French workshops, particularly through the deployment of virtual prototyping and the arrival of robotics and artificial intelligence in equipment. Finally, making French manufacturing more visible, transparent and accessible to enable lasting collaborations. 

Your goals for 2026? 

For 2026, our roadmap is to continue and amplify the momentum we've built by affirming our role as a facilitator of connections between brands and manufacturers, acting as a concrete bridge between the desire to produce in France and the industrial reality on the ground. Present at the sector's trade fairs, constantly visiting French workshops and listening to various brands, the MSFC's objective is not simply to list workshops on its connection platform, but to orchestrate a genuine ecosystem between creation and production. 

https://maisondusavoirfaire.com

PALAIS DE TOKYO, SPHERE Showroom presented by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, January 21st-25th, 2026.