Publié le 01/09/2025

French labour law - Back to school: will you be going back to your Bermuda to extend your vacation?

Article juridique - Droit du travail

1. The principle of employee freedom of dress

In principle, employees have individual freedom to dress, as emphasized in Article L1121-1 of the French Labor Code: "No one may impose restrictions on the rights of individuals and individual and collective freedoms that are not justified by the nature of the task to be performed or proportionate to the desired goal."

This is therefore an individual freedom, but not a fundamental one, as the Court of Cassation points out: "the freedom to dress as one wishes during and in the workplace does not fall within the category of fundamental freedoms" (Cass. soc., May 28, 2003, No. 02-40273).

This freedom is therefore not absolute and may be restricted.

2. Restrictions justified by the employer

a. The employer may require the wearing of a professional uniform

The employer is entitled to require a professional uniform when this obligation is justified by the nature of the task to be performed and proportionate to the intended purpose. For example, in the construction industry, the wearing of specific clothing is mandatory to ensure employee safety and prevent risks related to their work.

b. The employer may prohibit certain types of clothing

The employer may also prohibit certain types of clothing that it deems inappropriate for professional use. These restrictions may apply to clothing that compromises hygiene, safety, decency, or the company's brand image. Case law has upheld the prohibition on employees reporting to work in tracksuits (Cass. Soc., November 6, 2001, No. 99-43988) and the prohibition on employees having contact with customers wearing Bermuda shorts (Cass. Soc., November 12, 2008, No. 07-42220).

3. Employer Obligations Regarding Dress Code

In this context, employers also have certain obligations.

First, they may require employees to wear decent and appropriate attire, but must communicate their expectations in advance. This information may be provided either in a clause in the employee's employment contract or in the company's internal regulations.

SOURCES

JuriTravail, Tenue vestimentaire au travail : quelles sont les règles applicables par l'employeur ? , publié le 12/08/2025

https://www.juritravail.com/Actualite/tenue-vestimentaire-au-travail-que-dit-la-loi/Id/75131

Service Public, Tenue vestimentaire au travail : quelles sont les règles ? , publié le 23/07/2025

https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/actualites/A18391

Social CSE, Liberté vestimentaire au travail : Que dit la loi ? , publié le 14/11/2024

https://socialcse.fr/liberte-vestimentaire-au-travail-que-dit-la-loi/

Le Figaro Emploi, Quels sont les droits et les obligations de l’employeur en matière de tenue vestimentaire au travail ? , publié le 04/05/2023

https://recruteur.lefigaro.fr/article/quels-sont-les-droits-et-les-obligations-de-lemployeur-en-matiere-de-tenue-vestimentaire-au-travail/

Frédéric CHHUM avocat et ancien membre du conseil de l’ordre des avocats de Paris (mandat 2019-2021)

CHHUM AVOCATS (Paris, Nantes, Lille)

e-mail: chhum@chhum-avocats.com