FCUK

Market Analysis
FCUK is a short, sharp name to stand for French Connection United Kingdom,
founded in the year 1972 by Stephen Marks, it set out to create well-designed fashionable
clothing that appealed to a broad market.
French Connection now offers a fashion-forward clothing range with a quirky spin on
design, priding itself on quality and reasonable prices.
Their customers, typically aged 18-35, appreciate that the brand is at the leading edge of
high street fashion and offers quality and style in its products. They design ranges of
products for both men and women from underwear to outerwear, casual wear to suits,
denim, accessories and children's wear.
The company began by selling clothing to the mens and womens market, originating as
a fashionable clothing range, and has now extended its brand in recent years to include
fashion accessories, make-up, toiletries, even condoms and not forgetting more recently
alcoholic drinks

The brand has developed a brand identity, which is sexy, chic and has an attitude. The
whole business is born of a desire to be original, distinctive and accessible.

Whether FCUK has shocked or amused, it certainly made you think. Bold, witty and
intelligent, it demonstrates how French Connection has given personality to its brand, a
rare achievement on todays crowded high street. Since then FCUK has become
interchangeable with French Connection as the brand name and identity.

French Connection operates as a multiple specialist fashion retailer, competing against
the likes of Zara, H&M, Top Shop, Miss Selfridge, Next, River Island and Warehouse.
This industry is highly competitive with numerous international brands fighting in the
segment.

The fashion industry is in a state of constant flux and evolution, which designers must be
fast enough to respond to. To achieve this it is necessary to consider all new ideas and
designs through the mind of the customer. Consequently they endeavour to find designers
who closely identify with the lifestyle values of their customers, so that those same
values become their own.

Often, and in the case of French Connection, British manufacturers are contracted to re-
produce best-selling lines as the need arises. This can take as little as seven days to
complete, and although costs are significantly higher, it results in fewer stock-outs,
leading to increased customer satisfaction.

Our assignment was a group activity that required us to visit the FCUK outlets in India,
and analyse their style, fabrics used and details of the garment. Our group consisted of
Pragya Paliwal, Shelly Mistry, Sarmista Thakur, Madhusmita Das and Subhadra
Chourasia. We visited the FCUK outlet at High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel.

The assignment focuses on what the brand offers to the customers as per the forecast or
the costumer yield. Market research and analysis has a huge significance when one is
supposed to work according to ones design brief.
Sizing

The following is the sizing chart used by FCUK outlets worldwide:

Colours

The colour scheme of FCUKs Fall/Winter 2012 ranged from tones of cream, orange and
nude to tones of purple, blue, red, teal and black.
Traditional autumnal tones feature throughout the range with bright orange and turquoise
adding colour pops.

WOMENSWEAR SIZE GUIDE



SIZE 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
BUST
32" 33" 34" 36" 38" 40" 42" 44"
81cm 84cm 86cm 91cm 96cm 101cm 106.5cm 112 cm
WAIST
25.5" 26.5" 27.5" 29.5" 31.5" 33.5" 35.5" 37.5"
65cm 67cm 70cm 75cm 80cm 85cm 90cm 95cm
HIP
35.5" 36.5" 37.5" 39.5" 41.5" 43.5" 45.5" 47.5"
90cm 93cm 95cm 100cm 105cm 110cm 115cm 120.5cm
Note : Most of the womens trousers sit low on the waist and therefore please use the hip measurement as the key guide. A guide to inside leg
measurements and skirt lengths are given by each style.
Silhouettes

The silhouettes varied from fitted to slightly loose tops, nothing too big and saggy. The
bottoms of this season saw the use of straight, pegged and flared fits in equal proportions.
With the abundance of shift dresses, they seem to dominate the collection.



Embellishments

From ladylike beading to heavy hardware, embellishment is the key this season.
www.frenchconnection.in

From delicate floral embellishments to heavy gunmetal beads, FCUKs fall/winter collection
displays a variety of gorgeous, sparkly embellishments giving the collection a unique, and
glamorous feel.



Prints

The prints of the season were limited to florals and stripes, and scarce use of the paisley print.
Striped tee shirts, and knitted dresses were to be seen this season. The stripes could be large
and bold, or thin and uneven, plain, glittery, patterned, etc.



Sleeves

The Fall/Winter collection comprised of a vast variety of sleeves including cap sleeves, flared
sleeves, and blouson sleeves. The use of cuffs in the collection is pretty significant.




Necklines and Collars

Peter pan collars and high necks with embellished trims draw attention to the neck, making it
a great outfit for a great day or night look. The very popular V- necks can show off a slender
neck, while the cowl creates the illusion of an elongated body.




Darts and Dart Equivalents

Because of the excessive use of knitted fabrics, FCUKs Fall/Winter 2012 does not require the
use of darts. All the garments that dont use knitted fabrics, have either pleats or gathers,
instead of darts.




Seams and Panels

Most of the garments had a basic overlocked seam, and the remaining few were a tailored
seam.
Most of the dresses were empire line with yokes, and few of the others had princess panels
along the front and/or back. Some dresses were constructed out of four panels, i.e. they had
the center front seam, the center back seam, as well as both the side seams.



Fabrics used
Most of the garments were crepe, jersey, cotton-blend, cotton-knit, and georgette.