A pair of police detectives are hot on the trail of a heroin-smuggling gang in William Friedkin’s gritty, riveting 1971 film The French Connection. Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider deliver career-defining performances as NYPD narcotics officers Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle and Buddy “Cloudy” Russo. When the detectives stumble upon leads about an upcoming shipment of heroin from Marseille, they maintain relentless surveillance on both a mobster and a French businessman to prevent the drugs from getting into the hands of drug addicts.
The arresting FCUK branding of the 1990s tapped into the logo-laden zeitgeist and the edgy, fashion-forward brand became the go-to label for combat pants with a girl-power pout or a tux with a scowl (depending on which side of the gender divide you fell). However, as the fashion world moved from combative to corporate and sexy to twee, the brand floundered – The french connection tina resulting in yesterday’s announcement that it would be closing 14 UK stores.
Founder Chris Marks had already been forced to close the loss-making Nicole Farhi label in 2010. And last week it emerged that the company was also looking at cutting its US and Japanese operations too.
But it’s not all doom and gloom at French Connection Hello: the relaunched homeware collection, plans to expand in China and India, as well as celebrity support for its fashion offerings suggest that Marks hasn’t completely lost his touch when it comes to attention-grabbing marketing. The company’s recent advertising campaign, featuring Eva Herzigova in a bust-enhancing bra, was a hit on social media and saw the brand project the slogan to Battersea power station – much like Wonderbra did with its Hello Boys. The French Connection brand designs, produces and distributes branded fashion clothing, accessories, shoes and bags for men, women and children in more than 50 countries through retail stores, online, wholesale and licensing.
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