Five female-founded French brands we should all support

Women are the biggest consumers of fashion and beauty, yet the industry—from brands to advertising—remains overwhelmingly male-dominated. This disparity has been widely discussed, but progress continues at a snail’s pace. “More urgently, we need more women’s voices and vision in fashion,” says Ira Solomatina, a researcher on fashion media, gender, and politics at the University of Amsterdam and LMU Munich, in an interview with nss. This isn’t due to a lack of talent. In fact, according to a 1Granary report, women make up 74% of fashion courses, yet hold only 12% of creative director positions. “What’s most distressing,” Solomatina adds, “are the structural barriers they must overcome, from pay gaps and gender bias to the systemic hurdles that shape women’s career trajectories.” That’s why it’s always worth supporting women-led businesses, not only because women truly understand how to speak to other women, but because each of their success story makes way for future female entrepreneurs through inspiration and representation, creating more opportunities for the next gen. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of five female-founded French brands. This is by no means an exhaustive list—there are many more—but these are some you definitely should know.

NOO

A brand where women feel at home. NOO was founded by Anaïs Laurent and Elissa Regnier-Vigouroux, who first connected over coffee, through friends who knew about their shared vision: to create a lingerie brand that makes women feel good, inside and out. That was more than a decade ago, when they left their corporate jobs to turn this dream (and an obvious gap in the market at that time) into reality. Today, the Marseille-based label has evolved into an inspiring, women-led brand, with a “by women, for women”  ethos reflected in everything they do. NOO’s collection spans lingerie, loungewear, and casualwear, all imbued with an effortless French aesthetic that has turned its collections into an understated French girl uniform. NOO is as much about community as it is about style. Behind the brand is a team of over 30 women, working together to bring its values and vision to life, with materials sourced in Europe and a strong commitment to responsible production.

Musier

Pieces designed for the active woman—this is how Anne-Laure Mais describes Musier, the label she founded in 2018. Featuring easy-to-wear, effortlessly chic designs, Musier strikes the perfect balance between classic silhouettes, comfort, and versatility. Or, as one might say, form and function—an approach that comes naturally to Mais, who is also known by her pseudonym Adenorah and has a deep appreciation for architecture. In an interview with AD France, Mais shared that she once dreamed of becoming an architect and draws inspiration from Festen and the work of Jean Prouvé. This passion extends beyond fashion, as it has also led her to create Casa Cazorla, a six-bedroom villa nestled in the forest near the ocean and Bassin d’Arcachon. Available for holidays and events, the space reflects her signature style, where design, elegance, and a sense of place come together in perfect harmony.

Rouje

Founder Jeanne Damas’s inimitable French style muse has inspired many, a sensibility she has masterfully translated into her fashion label, Rouje. Founded in 2016, the Parisian brand describes itself as women created for women, offering sophisticated ready-to-wear pieces that one could easily imagine the founder wearing herself. The designs are effortlessly Parisian—feminine, understated, perfect for everyday wear, and what Damas calls a love letter to women. Rouje has since expanded into beauty, with its bestseller, Le Rouje Jeanne lipstick, becoming one of Damas’s signatures. In an interview with British Vogue, she shared that her own love for red lipstick played a role in her decision to portray Paloma Picasso in Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, a French television series created by Isaure Pisani-Ferry for Disney+.

Soeur

Domitille and Angélique Brion set out to create a label for women of all generations—something both modern and ageless. The result was Soeur (French for sisters), which they founded in 2007. A year later, they opened their first store on Rue Bonaparte in Paris’s 6th arrondissement. A decade later, they expanded internationally, opening their first store in Brussels, along with retail spaces at Le Bon Marché, BHV, and Galeries Lafayette. Though Soeur has been around for some time, its DNA has remained consistent, offering pieces with an effortlessly Parisian, androgynously bohemian aesthetic. “Soeur is a wardrobe that blurs the lines, borrowing from menswear to create an ever more feminine allure,” say the founders. This month, Soeur reinforces its commitment to sustainability by launching Soeur Second Hand, a platform that allows customers to buy and sell pre-loved Soeur pieces. When you sell an item you no longer wear, you receive a voucher that can be used immediately for purchases online or in-store, allowing each piece to continue its journey through time.

Sézane

Founder Morgane Sézalory began her journey on eBay, reselling vintage finds before expanding her passion into her own site, Les Composantes (which she recently relaunched to offer lifestyle products). From this starting point, she cultivated a dedicated community, fondly known as Sézanettes, after launching Sézane in 2013. Driven by Sézalory’s enthusiasm and her vision to “craft beautiful, high-quality pieces at fair, accessible prices,” Sézane has become a standout success story in France’s direct-to-consumer fashion scene. While it started online, the brand now boasts boutiques across France, the UK, Spain, and the US. Sustainability and social responsibility are at the heart of Sézane’s ethos: twice a year, its online archive sale ensures that no piece goes to waste, allowing every design to find a home and a story to tell. And on the first Wednesday of every month, 100% of net sales profits from a special pink creation, along with 10% of revenue from the Sézane denim line, are donated to the DEMAIN philanthropic program, which supports women’s health initiatives, including the Women's Cancer Research Fund in the US.