French Connection: Guest Post by Maddie Cowen

Throughout the world one of the major industries that is well-known and continues to expand and grow is the fashion industry.  People who work in the fashion industry know it is an incredible industry. Some would describe the fashion industry as being glamorous and exciting. However, like any other industry people need to start at the beginning in an industry such as fashion. There are many aspects that are new to the fashion industry such as “virtual closets, flash sale businesses, new designers and people who use technology in clever ways.” The challenge is there are many entrepreneurs who try to make it in the fashion industry and they end up missing the mark. Some issues that are common within the fashion industry are designers copying or coming up with the same concepts for a fashion line or to Vogue magazine acknowledging the fact that models have an anorexia problem. This poses a problem for the people who invest in the company or magazine because they are worried that the message that women should be skinnier if they want to be in the fashion industry. This also poses a problem to younger girls because the models are opening young girl’s minds and showing them that they want to look like the models they see. In all reality these models are showing what not being healthy looks like. The magazines are now showing healthier models and they are trying to change their image of what women should look like.

 Another problem that the fashion industry is facing is in the manufacturing industry since employment in the industry has declined by more than 80 percent. The number ranges from 900,000 to 150,000 jobs. This means that there are less people who are making the clothes that people wear and how so many people lost their jobs in the fashion industry. However, the labor productivity in the United States has more than doubled from the year 1987 to the year 2010. This shows that people are working hard to make the clothing we wear daily and how more clothes are being sold in malls and online. One company that has been able to be a success is French Connection, an international brand.  The goal the company set on September 19, 2012 was to outline initiatives applied in order to improve the performance of the retail business. The highlights of the company were their revenue being at 102.8 million Euros and how the company is underway to improve the retail business.  The goals of the investor relation professionals are to make sure that the numbers for the companies are correct. However, being a European fashion company there are likely to be some problems.

 One of the major problems that French Connection faced occurred in the last six months. For French Connection it has been very difficult for French Connection's UK/Europe retail business. As stated in an article by Paul Sonne “The company also faces some other troubles which include closing some of the stores that are in the United States and had “a plan to close all 21 of its Japanese stores and the retailer also agreed to sell its upscale brand Nicole Farhi brand to a Los Angeles, California based firm OpenGate for up to 5 million Euros” (Sonne, Paul). This means that people who have stocks in the company and want the company to be a success.  It shows that French Connection is one company that has ups and downs but is still able to be a success.