Damart Accelerates Global E-Commerce Push and Mass-Market Entry with Sustainability Focus

French apparel brand Damart is embarking on a multi-faceted strategic initiative, targeting mass-market retail entry by 2026 and significantly expanding its international footprint through e-commerce. Simultaneously, the brand is intensifying its commitment to sustainability by developing innovative recycling solutions and exploring new applications for its signature Thermolactyl and Evolutyl fabrics.

Currently, Damart leverages nine marketplaces for distribution within France, aiming to present an assortment consistent with its proprietary retail channels. A key objective is to broaden its consumer base beyond the established 'silver economy' segment, which traditionally forms its core demographic. This outreach has already shown promise, with Damart being highlighted by event sales site Veepee as one of its top three best-selling fashion brands, according to Managing Director Filiep Blontrock.

For international growth, Damart, whose primary markets include France, Belgium, and the UK, is strategically partnering with fashion e-tailers. A notable recent collaboration is with German e-tailer Zalando, which necessitated a significant upgrade to Damart's delivery infrastructure. Loïc Bouquet, Damart’s head of marketplace and B2B operations, noted that the required four-day delivery capability introduced for Zalando has concurrently enhanced service for all online customers. The brand's international focus initially targets countries neighboring France, with an entry into Austria planned for early next year. This e-tailer-led experimentation helps identify optimal markets before prioritizing the deployment of Damart's own e-shops.

Since initiating its international expansion strategy approximately 18 months ago, Damart now generates one-third of its e-tail sales outside France, with projections indicating this share will reach 50% next year. This growth is set to bolster Damart's online business, which currently accounts for 21% of total revenue. The brand's sales channels are further diversified, with mail-order contributing 34% and in-store sales 45%. Damart is available at 150 retailers globally, 94 of which are in Europe. A significant milestone was achieved in 2025, when store sales surpassed catalogue sales for the first time.

This shift underscores the growing importance of the in-store experience, which Filiep Blontrock describes as crucial, positioning Damart as a "destination brand" capable of independently generating traffic. Blontrock emphasizes that the in-store environment must distinctly embody Damart’s signature ‘heat generator’ features. However, he also acknowledges concerns regarding the declining commercial appeal of central retail locations in many cities, noting several store relocations, including a prominent instance in Damart's home city of Roubaix, where its long-standing store moved to the ground floor of its headquarters.

A major distribution milestone awaits in Fall/Winter 2026, as Damart prepares to enter mass-market retail. Its signature t-shirts, typically priced at €24.90, will be offered at €19.90, a price adjustment made possible by value chain optimizations. These t-shirts will be available in long and short sleeves, for both men and women, in black and white. The specific mass-market chain involved has not yet been disclosed.

In parallel with its commercial expansion, Damart is actively pursuing sustainability goals, particularly in fabric recycling. For winter 2026, the brand plans to sell comforters made 70% from fabric offcuts collected and recycled at its Tunisian factory. Additionally, it is producing shoes with 20% content derived from frayed fibers that are re-spun and knitted in Portugal. Damart also intends to implement an in-store system for collecting garments at the end of their lifecycle.

Fabric technology remains a core focus. Following the success of Thermolactyl and the cool-feeling Climatyl, Damart is now placing renewed emphasis on its Evolutyl fabric technology, launched two years ago. This "phase-change material," which provides protection against low temperatures and minor heat bursts, will be integrated into the lining of sleeved garments, extending the utility of Damart's expertise in this mid-layer material, which can be challenging to market. This initiative is slated for winter 2026. Furthermore, the strong performance of RainProtect, the brand's range of waterproof fabrics, in the spring has encouraged Damart to expand this line and combine it with Thermolactyl for application in colder seasons.

To capitalize on its busiest season, which commences with dropping temperatures, Damart is set to launch an extensive multi-media advertising campaign from October 17 to November 30. This campaign will span major television channels such as France TV and TF1, popular streaming platforms including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and Apple TV+, as well as Spotify and approximately 1,000 digital advertising screens.

Damart's parent company, the Damartex group, reported a revenue of €521 million for the fiscal year ending in June, a stable performance with a marginal 0.6% decrease from the previous year, notably less than the 9.9% drop in 2023-24. Employing 2,000 individuals, Damartex operates across various sectors: apparel with brands like Damart and Xandrès; home textiles through 3 Pagen, Vitrine Magique, and Coopers of Stortford; and healthcare services with Almadia, Santéol, and MSanté.