French Connection drops Beattie
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.French Connection and Trevor Beattie, the advertising guru, are ending a 10-year association that has produced some of the most provocative and unpopular ads in recent retail history.
An attempt to move the struggling retailer on from the infamous FCUK campaign ended in failure this year after a campaign featuring a lesbian kiss flopped.
Mr Beattie turned the FCUK acronym, used on communication between its London head office and its Hong Kong buying team, into the "FCUK fashion" logo that was emblazoned across shopfronts, T-shirts and at one point even a radio station. His company, Beattie McGuinness Bungay, then came up with the "Fashion versus Style" ad campaign where two women sparred before graphically making up.
Intended to provoke a debate about fashion, the campaign was built around a quote from the late French designer Yves Saint-Laurent, but it did not have the desired effect.
In May, the unpopular campaign was one contributor to French Connection's fifth profit warning in 18 months after it failed to revive the group's sales.
Mr Beattie said it had been his decision to stop working for the retailer, a founding client when he launched his new agency just over 12 months ago. French Connection declined to comment on the split.
"It's not every day you resign an account you've worked on for 10 years," Mr Beattie told the trade magazine Campaign. "But fashion being fashion, standing still is not an option. I feel the time is right for us to move on."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments