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| Le Francais adore ... la France? Minister flies flag and says buy French | Le Francais adore ... la France? Minister flies flag and says buy French |
| (6 months later) | |
| When Nicolas Sarkozy wore aviator shades and NYPD T-shirts, Rachida Dati posed in Dior on the cover of Paris Match and the former health minister Roselyne Bachelot appeared in pink Crocs at the Elysée to honour a bet, it was clear that the French political class would never set the nation's fashion trends. But that could now be changing. | When Nicolas Sarkozy wore aviator shades and NYPD T-shirts, Rachida Dati posed in Dior on the cover of Paris Match and the former health minister Roselyne Bachelot appeared in pink Crocs at the Elysée to honour a bet, it was clear that the French political class would never set the nation's fashion trends. But that could now be changing. |
| Since Arnaud Montebourg, the Socialist minister for industrial renewal, posed in a striped Breton sailor top to promote his "Made in France" mantra last weekend, the Brittany-based firm Armor-Lux has seen a 65% surge in sales of its navy and white marinière, as Paris department stores struggle to meet increased demand for the French fisherman look. | Since Arnaud Montebourg, the Socialist minister for industrial renewal, posed in a striped Breton sailor top to promote his "Made in France" mantra last weekend, the Brittany-based firm Armor-Lux has seen a 65% surge in sales of its navy and white marinière, as Paris department stores struggle to meet increased demand for the French fisherman look. |
| The cover shoot for Le Parisien magazine which saw Montebourg pose against a tricolour background in a striped top, clutching a French-made Moulinex mixer and wearing a French watch, sparked mockery from opposition MPs as France faces its worst ever unemployment and manufacturing crisis. | The cover shoot for Le Parisien magazine which saw Montebourg pose against a tricolour background in a striped top, clutching a French-made Moulinex mixer and wearing a French watch, sparked mockery from opposition MPs as France faces its worst ever unemployment and manufacturing crisis. |
| The country's industrial sector accounts for around 13.5% of its national output, down from nearly 18% in the mid-1970s, unemployment is at a 13-year-high and François Hollande is trying to shore up the crisis-hit automobile industry and stave off broader factory closures while Montebourg seeks to convince people to buy French. | The country's industrial sector accounts for around 13.5% of its national output, down from nearly 18% in the mid-1970s, unemployment is at a 13-year-high and François Hollande is trying to shore up the crisis-hit automobile industry and stave off broader factory closures while Montebourg seeks to convince people to buy French. |
| If the head of the business leaders' union called Montebourg's shoot "very sexy", several rightwing politicians and a Green party senator deemed it ridiculous in the current climate. | If the head of the business leaders' union called Montebourg's shoot "very sexy", several rightwing politicians and a Green party senator deemed it ridiculous in the current climate. |
| French media have jokingly demanded why Montebourg wasn't wearing a beret, Sarkozy's former interior minister said he should have worn French clogs, and cartoonists have wondered when he'll be posing in women's underwear to mark the decline of French bra-making. | French media have jokingly demanded why Montebourg wasn't wearing a beret, Sarkozy's former interior minister said he should have worn French clogs, and cartoonists have wondered when he'll be posing in women's underwear to mark the decline of French bra-making. |
| Asked about Montebourg's look on French news, the Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld pointed out that it was "very Jean-Paul Gaultier". The Breton striped top – a staple of high-street chains for the last couple of summers – has inspired Gaultier for years and was previously immortalised by Picasso and Brigitte Bardot. But Hollande said he was glad Montebourg was dressing up for the cause. | Asked about Montebourg's look on French news, the Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld pointed out that it was "very Jean-Paul Gaultier". The Breton striped top – a staple of high-street chains for the last couple of summers – has inspired Gaultier for years and was previously immortalised by Picasso and Brigitte Bardot. But Hollande said he was glad Montebourg was dressing up for the cause. |
| This week, Montebourg dismissed concerns by the World Trade Organisation that his appeals to favour French goods could become patriotic protectionism. The government is under pressure to restore lost competitiveness on world markets amid calls from businesses to cut labour charges – a tricky issue for the Socialists, who must also find alternatives for funding France's social welfare system. | This week, Montebourg dismissed concerns by the World Trade Organisation that his appeals to favour French goods could become patriotic protectionism. The government is under pressure to restore lost competitiveness on world markets amid calls from businesses to cut labour charges – a tricky issue for the Socialists, who must also find alternatives for funding France's social welfare system. |
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