Launched in 2011 by its founder and now chairman, Guillaume Gibault, the idea of Le Slip Français is simple but required a certain nerve that was to reinvent textile manufacturing in France. From knitting to tailoring, from the designing of the product to the box containing it, from photo shoot locations to labels, all the manufacturing stages of Le Slip Français are Made in France.

 

Meeting and interview with a brand which embodies the success story of Made in France and which manages the back office of its retail site with Store Commander's SC Multistore licence.

 

What was your area for development from the start: web only, or web and retail

At the start, the only sales channel was the internet for several reasons: it is quick, easy and Le Slip Françaisis a product that people rarely try on in shops. In 2014, we opened our first store, Le Temple du Slip, in Paris and will be opening our thirteenth store at the end of November in Bordeaux. Physical stores and our website are today two very complementary channels, especially since we are no longer selling just underwear but also ready-to-wear. 

 

 

Your 100% French positioning: how do you promote it and do you participate in events on the 100% French theme?

Guillaume participates in numerous events surrounding French manufacturing and has always set his heart on supporting entrepreneurs who are also embarking on their own venture. Via the YouTube channel of Le Slip Français, its Instagram or more personally, he is committed on a daily basis to the showcasing of know-how (not only in the textile industry), but also to promoting initiatives and brands which share the values of Le Slip Français.  

Today, a lot of people are following us on social networks and speak about us on them, especially young people. However, it is often the case that they do not have the spending power to buy a product from Le Slip Français, but this does not prevent them from being committed to us and from supporting our brand. This makes them valuable members of our venture, as they are contributing to its development. 

 

 

How much do you rely on your site's products and how have you expanded your range over the years?

Today, we have more than 500 products on our site. We started by focusing on men's underwear, then men's ready-to-wear and men's swimwear. Over a year ago, we launched our women's range. We had some unisex pieces, but our customers wanted a range dedicated to women. Today, we are regularly expanding our product range with new materials, new shapes or new motifs and patterns, in our new collections but also in our permanent collections

 

 

How do you manage your site's marketing?

It follows our commercial marketing strategy: new product releases, promotions, seasonal pieces... We are trying to showcase not only the must-haves which always work very well as with our underwear, but also the new ready-to-wear products. The important aspect is to give visibility to our entire range depending on the season. 

A marketing example: the Slip Loterie (a lottery where you can win underwear) is a fun proposition to start interaction with the brand. Play to try and win underwear, Vegas style. We are also trying to organise competitions with partners that we will advertise on the site two to three times a year. 

 

Are you putting in place cross-channel actions between stores and site?

We are coordinating all our web- and retail-based promotions to strengthen the effectiveness of our actions. Some commercial operations are still difficult to apply in store due to technical or margin reasons, but we make up for this by organising in-store events which allow us to supplement the web-based actions and meet our customers. Conversely, retail outlets very often feed back to us our customers' impressions of our products so that we can supplement our product descriptions, detect a fault or move stock, if necessary.