Lingerie is synonymous with France and the country of love doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the best French lingerie brands. If you’re shopping for your next bra, culotte, or night slip, then these brands have your back.
France has a long tradition of clothing manufacturing and lingerie is no exception. From the silk production in Lyon to the lacemaking in Chantilly and Calais, French lingerie brands have developed a savoir-faire over the years to craft some of the most desirable lingerie in the world!
Here are the best French lingerie brands you need to shop if you want your undergarments to resemble those of a French girl. Lingerie is a word we stole from the French, after all!
Luxury French Lingerie Brands
The top luxury French lingerie brands have existed for decades, creating chic bras and underwear for the Parisian elite. These are the most high-end lingerie brands from France to know.
Chantelle
Chantelle is a French heritage lingerie brand founded in 1949, with lingerie fabrication origins going back to 1876. The Chantelle brand’s slogan during its early years in the 1950s was, “the girdle that never rides up.”
With prêt-à-porter taking over fashion in the 60s, Chantelle followed suit as well led by its founder Claude Kretz. Ready-to-wear bras went into production in 1962 in the company’s first factory in Epernay, Champagne, which still operates today!
In 1993, the brand launched in New York, its first expansion outside Europe. In 2010, Assouline published the Chantelle book on this storied brand’s history.
Chantelle operates 9 factories today and does extensive tests on each material it uses to ensure that the bras and underwear created are of the highest quality. The Chantelle Rive Gauche Full Coverage Underwire Bra is a bestseller adored by Americans. Chantelle is truly one of the best Parisian lingerie brands to own!
Aubade
Aubade is a chic French designer lingerie brand. Founded in 1958 by Claude Pasquier, corsets and girdles were still the essential elements of a women’s underwear wardrobe. Aubade helped transform lingerie into the seductive and glamorous industry that it is today. From matching bra and undies sets to the first thong, Aubade introduced many popular lingerie trends to France during its history.
Maison Lejaby
Maison Lejaby is a French fashion house crafting women’s lingerie since 1930. As experts in corsetry and lingerie, the brand has evolved with the times while retaining its savoir-faire acquired in its Lyon workshops. With precise cuts and fine materials, Maison Lejaby has mastered the art of lingerie. In the 1980s, Maison Lejaby collaborated with Isabelle Adjani, an iconic French film star.
Chantal Thomass
Part of the Chantelle Group, Chantal Thomass is a French lingerie designer who launched her namesake brand in 1975. With a pink and black aesthetic influenced by traditional boudoir design, the brand’s flagship store in Paris on Rue Saint-Honoré has been frequented by Parisians for decades. In 2016, she designed the costumes for the Crazy Horse Parisian cabaret theater.
Lise Charmel
Lise Charmel is a lingerie brand from France that was created more than half a century ago in the silk district of Lyon. Driven by offering customers a custom fit made from high-quality materials, Lise Charmel has evolved into a highly sought-after lingerie brand in France and beyond.
Eres
Eres is a luxury French swimwear brand founded in 1968 by Irène Leroux. Since the 90s, the brand has made luxury lingerie for its loyal customers. Eres makes lingerie basics you’ll love with an emphasis on stylish comfort.
Simone Pérèle
Simone Pérèle has been a family-owned lingerie company since its founding by French woman Simone Pérèle in 1948. From spacer bras to push-up bras to different body shapes, Simone Pérèle is committed to serving its customers around the world who each have different needs, even if a design isn’t traditionally French. By applying the company’s French sense of elegance to each product it makes, Simone Pérèle is poised to become an international success.
Contemporary French Lingerie Brands
A new crop of French lingerie designers has emerged in recent years. These brands offer a nice selection of quality bras and underwear, at reasonable prices. The design is contemporary and relevant to today’s consumers!
- Yasmine Eslami
- Ysé
- Livy Studio
- Lou Lingerie
- NOO Paris
- Girls in Paris
Budget French Lingerie Brands
If you’re shopping for French lingerie on a budget, then these affordable French lingerie brands have wallet-friendly prices for you to get the French girl look for less!
Etam
Etam is a mass-market French lingerie company dedicated to providing affordable French lingerie to as many women as possible. Etam is based in France, though it was founded by a German man Max Lindemann in 1916. Its first Parisian boutique opened in 1928 on Rue Saint Honoré. In 1936, the brand’s first French factory opened in Mouvaux.
Today, Etam operates more than 700 stores in France and holds an annual fashion show similar to that of Victoria’s Secret which draws top models and influencers. You can rely on Etam for basic bras and underwear that won’t cost a fortune.
Where is the largest lingerie store in Europe? It’s on Rue de Rennes in Paris, France and was opened by Etam in 2008!
Princesse tam tam
Princesse tam.tam is an affordable French girl lingerie brand. Founded more than 30 years ago by Loumia and Shama Hiridjee, the brand has gained a following through its fun and girly designs. The brand is named after a 1935 film starring Josephine Baker who dances and makes music using a tam-tam while spreading messages of freedom.
The brand was one of the first to launch a women’s version of the ‘boxer short’ in an effort to improve the comfort of women’s underwear. From lingerie to swimwear to loungewear, Princesse tam.tam offers all types of homewear to ensure you’re most comfortable. There are 153 Princesse tam.tam shops where you can buy the brand’s affordable French lingerie.
What are your favorite French girl lingerie brands to shop for?