Here's the other French election As voters go to the polls in France, the British are voting with their wallets for Parisian brands, notably Sandro and Maje. Both are chic and expanding. And their owners are sisters - just don't tell anyone they're related, says Lisa Armstrong. Had there been a terrible family rift, I wondered? There hadn't. Judith Milgrom, the 47-year-old founder of Maje and 49-year-old Evelyne Chétrite, who launched Sandro in 1984 with her husband Didier, are part of a tightly knit family of Moroccan immigrants. They get on so well that three years ago they bought another label, Claudie Pierlot, that they work on together. But I only discovered they were related when I was shopping at their adjacent counters in Selfridges in London and the sales assistants let on. The sisters, it transpires, are wary of being grouped together. SEE: Gallic victory: French labels we can't live without It's understandable. They're both trying to create brands with strong identities and, in their minds, Sandro is the slightly edgier of the two and Maje the more classic, each offering a Gallic sense of restraint that's coolly in command of fashion rather than enslaved by it. The prices, though affordable, are hardly cheap ­and that, together with the nifty cutting, adds to the sense that they're something more than one-season wonders. Last year, LVMH bought 51 per cent of each brand, a deal that, according to Judith, gives them total freedom but also a lot of financial support. Next stop, the US. Judith Milgrom, Maje founder and designer Maje spring/summer 2012 Turnover last year: £95.8 million My parents had a fantastic life in Morocco but they wanted their children to live in a country where there was more freedom, so they came to France. It was quite a sacrifice. When we first arrived in Paris, I was homesick. I felt the sun never rose in Paris. I fell way behind in school and left at 17. There were six of us children. One brother, who was disabled, died when he was 24. My mother worked as a hairdresser and my father had a restaurant. We never bought anything ­- we grew our food and made our clothes. We didn't even know what a bakery was. I first developed my style at 12. I borrowed a black jacket of my mother's, and a white shirt and a black tie from my father. When my father saw me, he went mad. There was a lot of superstition in our family, as with many North Africans. It turned out it was a funeral tie. I still love that minimalist uniform of trousers and white shirts. Trousers solve the problems of tights, which I hate, and heels, which I like, but not necessarily during the day. At 17 I went to work with my sister, Evelyne, at Sandro, the label she set up. READ: Maje has a Brigitte Bardot moment I got married really young and had my daughter at 19. She's working with me now. At 23, I was divorced. I remarried at 35. My son is 11. It's not that I didn't like working with my sister. I stayed for 12 years at Sandro,­ but we have different visions. I told my sister every day that I wanted to set up my own label. French style is very basic, chic and classic. I wanted to give women the means to transform themselves, so that they could work and still look feminine. Modernity is about mixing. The other day, I saw an incredibly chic woman head-to-toe in Maje with a crocodile Hermès bag. That was very pleasing. She was about 45. If she'd been totally dressed in luxury brands, she'd have seemed a lot older. Price was always key. When we launched, there was Zara, which is great, but you queue for the changing room, there's no sense at all of modern luxury, which is what we offer. Our coats are around 500 euros, 350 for a jacket. But it's important that a woman can find something for 150 euros and get the same service as someone spending 1,000. For years it was all made in France, but gradually we've moved to Eastern Europe and the Far East. I still want to deliver well-made clothes. Fashion doesn't need to be intellectual. It just needs to be good, and easy to wear. Sometimes though, that seems to be quite difficult. I want the shopping experience at Maje to be easy, but women want a little fantasy. This season, I really felt we have to stop wearing so much black. I love it, but we need some colour. Saint Laurent and Chanel gave women freedom by giving them simplicity and trousers, but now I think we can do the opposite. I say embrace your femininity and wear a pink dress to the office. You don't need to dress like a man. I wouldn't say I'm a workaholic, but I work intensely. About 20 years ago, I started to observe the Jewish Sabbath really seriously. From dusk on Friday until dusk on Saturday, I don't do any work, don't shop or look at my email or phone. It's unbelievably therapeutic. Evelyne Chétrite, Sandro founder and designer Sandro spring/summer 2012 Turnover last year: £58.7 million I fell into fashion by chance. I was brought up with a knowledge of fabric and cut but I studied law at university, which was very boring. I was 19 when I married my husband, who worked in the fashion business and wanted to launch a label. I guess it was fate. I had my first child at 20, a son, now 29, who works with me. Then another three. We seem to marry young in my family. We were brought up to be chic but on a budget, and I suppose that became the ethos of Sandro. When we launched it in 1984, there wasn't anything like it in France. There were the designers at one end and then Tati, a very cheap department store. Not much in between. Success is a taboo in France so, although Sandro was a hit from the start, I never dared think of it in that way. I didn't open my first standalone shop until 2004. French style is very pragmatic. French women buy little, but they buy quality. They don't like to think they're influenced by trends, which is why the catwalk plays a very small part in what we do. I remember the first time we were copied by a high-street brand. It's gutting, but it's not worth suing. We just weren't equipped for a law case. You can't get the best out of your team if you don't respect them. We have 500 employees and 150 shops, and counting. I design with a team of 10. I feel I know the Sandro woman inside out. She's every age, but she has an attitude. I'm always thinking about how I can seduce her and help her seduce others. It starts with the cut. That's what transforms a sack into something chic. It's not about rules. I would never try to look completely chic. For me, it's about contrasts. For instance, I like to wear feminine clothes but I also adore wearing large, mannish trousers with high heels and a masculine jacket. READ: Dree Hemingway launches capsule collection for Sandro I love fashion. If I don't like what I'm wearing, then it's a bad day. I feel like my motor's broken down. I hate it when I can't find nice clothes. It was tough this winter. I'm sick of ethnic, sick of the rock chic . It's inelegant. This season, fashion's much better. It's minimalist but with interesting little details and colour. That's very Sandro. We always do a statement colour. And we always have the same design in a more reassuring colour. I'd like to say my wardrobes are immaculate but that's not the case, and it's worse now since I'm in the middle of a move. I live, like my sister, in the 16th arrondissement, near the Bois de Boulogne. It's very different from the 10th, where we grew up. We had a party and Alexa Chung DJed when we opened the first British Sandro store in Notting Hill. There's far more energy in London now than New York. I try not to talk business with my sister, but inevitably we do. That's her calling my mobile now. I guess in many ways, we're similar. Like her, I keep the Sabbath strictly. I panicked when I first embarked on this 20 years ago, as it was my only day to do the chores. But it's wonderful for the mind and body. I don't really ever sneak into branches of Maje to see what Judith's doing, or at least I only do when things aren't going well with Sandro. If what we're doing, as sisters, is unique. it's all down to our parents. The French invasion on the British high street agnès b UK launch: 1987. Stores in UK: Four standalone stores and a concession in Fenwick Bond Street. USP: Season-less classics like well-cut trousers, chic day dresses and trench coats. europe.agnesb.com APC UK launch: In Joseph in 1987. The first store opened in 1993. Stores in UK: Two in London on Dover Street and Redchurch Street. USP: Basics with a coquettish twist. Does a strong line in bags and shoes, too - its chic suede ankle boots (£350) have been snaffed by several members of Team Telegraph.apc.fr Comptoir des Cotonniers UK launch: Founded in 1995, it launched here in 2005. Stores in UK: 14. USP: Ageless style - it famously casts mothers and daughters in its campaigns. Covers trends in an accessible way - there are lots of wearable yellow cardies and trousers, and watered-down paisley prints for spring. comptoirdescotonniers.com Gerard Darel UK launch: Started with concessions in stores including Harrods and Fenwick in 1997. First standalone opened in 2000. Stores in UK: A sixth store will be opening in May, and there are concessions in 25 stores across UK. USP: Yummies Mummies nirvana. Claudia Schiffer would cut a dash on the school run in its sleek boot-cut Anna jeans (£110) and silk sleeveless faded leopard top (£145). gerarddarel.com Iro UK launch: 2009. Stores in UK: 45 concessions including Net-a-Porter, Urban Outfitters, Donna Ida and Selfridges. USP: Parisian chic with a swagger, as bottled by Emmanuelle Alt, French Vogue's editor. The brand's identity is built on cool biker jackets, cropped jeans and micro minis. iro.fr The Kooples UK launch: Founded in 2008 and launched here in 2010. Stores in UK: 22 standalones. Also stocked in Selfridges and House of Fraser. How about that for super-speedy growth? USP: For her: borrowed-from-the-boys tailoring with a rock 'n' roll attitude - think skinny suits and slimfit silk shirts. For him: well, pretty much more of the same. Everything is made on Savile Row. Playing on the brand's name, campaigns feature ridiculously photogenic couples. thekooples.com Loft Design By UK launch: 23-year-old label arrived on these shores in 2008. Stores in UK: Three - in Notting Hill, Marylebone and Mayfair. USP: Understated elegance. Founder Patrick Frèche is inspired by his passions for travel, architecture and art - consider him the French male version of Margaret Howell. Frèche is something of a poetry buff as well - last year, customers were treated to a free copy of Poèmes en Loft, a collection of poems he edited. loftdesignby.com Petit Bateau UK launch: 2001 on King's Road. Stores in UK: Nine boutiques, three concessions in Harrods, Selfridges and House of Fraser and one outlet store in Ashford International USP: Brilliant Bretons - and adorable childrenswear. petit-bateau.co.uk Les Petites UK launch: 2010. Stores in UK: Two - Notting Hill and Sloane Street. USP: Bohemian deshabille. Slouchy knits, flowing maxis and boyfriend jackets are par for the artfully mussed-up course. lespetites.fr Zadig & Voltaire UK launch: 2006 on Sloane Street. Stores in UK: 11 standalones and two concessions. USP: Upmarket grunge. Its cashmere vests and sweats for great for layering. zadig-et-voltaire.com