Le Slip Français has opened its ‘Bonne Nouvelle’ factory in Aubervilliers, focusing on producing high-quality men’s underwear with competitive costs while promoting the ‘made in France’ concept. The facility employs advanced automation to enhance productivity, enabling the production of 16,000 garments weekly. Despite recent challenges, the brand aims to grow by streamlining operations and expanding e-commerce, striving to reshape the French textile industry while maintaining affordability and quality.
The rhythmic sound of sewing machines, vibrant stacks of tricolor fabrics, and innovative automatons fill the air at the new factory in Aubervilliers. Le Slip Français is on a mission to revive its brand while championing the ‘made in France’ ethos.
Within a 500 m² windowless facility adorned with pristine white walls, a dedicated team of forty seamstresses, cutters, ironers, and finishers skillfully repeat precise motions to churn out an impressive 16,000 garments each week.
Launched in late 2023, the ‘Bonne Nouvelle’ factory generated a remarkable one million euros in revenue during 2024, collaborating with various clients, including its primary focus—men’s underwear.
With this new facility, Guillaume Gibault, president of Le Slip Français, proudly stated that they now possess the most competitive production costs for French-made underwear, emphasizing that ‘made in France’ doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag.
– The Role of Automatons –
The key to maintaining such high productivity lies in a corner of the workshop where an automatic machine, standing about one and a half meters tall, efficiently unrolls and cuts a large roll of tricolor elastic—essential for the waistband of boxer shorts. This technology spares workers the tedious task of measuring and cutting each piece manually.
Adjacent to this machine, an operator places the waistband onto a second automaton, which is the size of several sewing machines and operates on Chinese programming. This advanced machine then seamlessly attaches the elastic to the fabric, forming the completed underwear.
This step, traditionally the most complex in the production process, is significantly expedited by automation.
‘We save thirty seconds with this machine,’ says Léa Marie, the general director of Le Slip Français, ‘and that translates to a cost saving of 30 cents.’
Further along the production line, a third automaton can hem a t-shirt in just twelve seconds, which is three times quicker than the conventional method, as highlighted by Bruno Haddad, the head of the small industrial facility.
This efficiency positions the Aubervilliers site favorably against other European nations with more established textile sectors and lower wage structures.
‘In my career, I’ve visited numerous factories in Portugal, and they don’t yet possess the automated technology we have here. Countries like Bangladesh, China, and Turkey are already equipped with such advancements. We’ve sourced our machines and expertise from those regions,’ explains Mr. Haddad, who has experience with major fast-fashion brands in North African factories.
Alongside the general director and the president, Mr. Haddad is one of the five partners behind the ‘Bonne Nouvelle’ factory, where Le Slip Français holds a 10% stake, producing 30 to 40% of its goods.
– Facing Challenges Ahead –
With colors like navy blue, red, white, and hints of black dominating the factory floor, Guillaume Gibault illustrates their strategy of producing large volumes of the same product to optimize time and reduce costs.
Following a near-crisis in 2022 and 2023, the brand, celebrating its 14th year, reported a revenue of 20 million euros in 2024. ‘Things are looking up, but we still have challenges ahead,’ he admits.
The brand is trimming down its product lines, closing stores (now down to just five), and placing greater emphasis on e-commerce and large distribution channels.
‘In large retail, it’s priced at 30 euros for three items,’ Mr. Gibault explains, noting that with reduced production costs, they’re able to offer their products at ’29 euros for two.’
‘Our goal is to close that 30% competitiveness gap by investing in one or two additional automatons, increasing our volume, and enhancing our organization… all to fulfill our mission: to reinvent the French textile industry with style,’ he envisions while overseeing the operations of his machines.
This sentiment resonates with Bruno Le Maire, who attended the factory’s inauguration as a supportive presence. The former Minister of Economy characterized deindustrialization as a ‘political, economic, and moral failure of prior generations’ and described the process of reindustrialization as a ‘combat sport,’ while proudly mentioning that he himself wears Le Slip Français.