The board of directors of Défi de la Mode de France unanimously elected Lionel Guérin president on 9 September 2026, according to FashionUnited France. He succeeds Lucien Deveaux, who had chaired the organisation for twenty-five years. Clarisse Reille remains the organisation's director general.
A board member of Défi since 2023, Lionel Guérin chaired the Innovation, Savoir-Faire et Mode Responsable committee until his election. A graduate of Sciences Po Paris with a law degree, he began his career as secretary general of the École nationale de la magistrature and as a lecturer at the École nationale d'administration du Gabon. In 1984, he joined the Fédération Française des Industries du Vêtement Masculin, of which he has been executive president since January 2020. He is also co-president of the Union Française des Industries de la Mode et de l'Habillement (UFIMH) since 2024, and chairs the Conseil des affaires économiques of the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) as well as France Industries Créatives.
In a statement reported by FashionUnited France, Lionel Guérin is said to have praised the record of his predecessor: "Je remercie Lucien Deveaux qui pendant vingt-cinq ans a fait du Défi avec une équipe réduite un organisme efficace et reconnu, en constante adaptation et indiscutablement engagé auprès des entreprises. J’entends poursuivre cet engagement, en lien étroit avec les fédérations professionnelles, et maintenir la solidarité entre les marques installées et les créateurs."
Support schemes to be adapted
According to the same source, the new president would seek to adapt Défi's support schemes to the new needs of fashion companies, notably in technological and digital innovation, international development, responsible fashion, French craftsmanship and regulatory change. He would also like to strengthen Défi's role in coordinating professional federations, so that they can define common positions on the sector's major issues, both in France and internationally.
This election comes as a plan to bring IFTH and Défi closer together is said to have been discussed, according to FashionUnited France. Lionel Guérin is also said to have indicated that he would ensure that any change "préserve les intérêts des entreprises et de la filière mode françaises" (preserves the interests of French fashion companies and the sector), as they are currently guaranteed.
