The typical Dutch woman bicycles to work. Artificial fabrics such as rayon are all but impossible to sell in Germany, but next door in Holland, artificial fabrics are popular because they are much cheaper. The best-selling children s lines in northern Europe don t have a significant following in France. The French dress their children as little adults, not as kids, and at Mexx we had a big hit on our hands when we simply downsized our women s clothing line for girls. At Mexx we learned that linen sells well in France but can hardly be given away in Holland.
Linen looks terrible when it rains.
But on a St. Tropez tan, lime green looks great. It s a fact well known to clothing manufacturers that different groups of people are built differently. The build of the average Spanish woman differs significantly from that of the typical Swede. But the differences are more basic. Spanish based Zara is Southern Europe s fastest growing clothes retailer.