French fashion

France is one of the leading countries in fashion industry, alongside USA, Italy, the UK,Spain, Germany, Japan, China and many others. Fashion has always been an important part of the country's cultural life and society, and French's are well known for their attention of dressing-up well; haute-couture, the "prêt-à-porter" and many others, the classy impression, remains traditional in the French way of living

Many fashion houses closed during occupation of Paris during World War II, including the Maison Vionnet and the Maison Chanel. In contrast to the stylish, liberated Parisienne, the Vichy regimepromoted the model of the wife and mother, the robust, athletic young woman, a figure who was much more in line with the new political criteria. Germany, meanwhile, was taking possession of over half of what France produced, including high fashion, and was also considering relocating French haute couture to the cities of Berlin and Vienna, neither of which had any significant tradition of fashion. The archives of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture were seized, most consequentially the client list. Jews were excluded from the fashion industry.