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French Connection Closing Its Doors


If you remember the heyday of FCUK, you might be feeling a little shaken up today by news that the chain is closing its doors for good. It’s a brand that, at its peak in the nineties, tapped into the logo-laden zeitgeist and created T-shirts that were perfect for teaming with combat pants and a girl-power pout or a parka and scowl depending on your gender identity. But as fashion shifted from combative and exuberant to something more staid and safe, the brand was left behind.

The original name of the company was French Connection (abbreviated FCUK) and it was founded by Richard Marks, a self-made millionaire who made his money in the property and finance sectors. His initial success led to a public stock listing in 1983 and his name was among the 15 richest in Britain that year.

Marks was inspired by the attention-grabbing tactics of Wonderbra’s “Hello Boys” campaign which featured Eva Herzigova in a bust-enhancing bra projected onto Battersea power station, and recruited Trevor Beattie to create the campaign’s concept-driven slogan. From there, the rest is history.

Allo is a standard way to greet someone on the phone in France, although it’s not the only one. It’s also common to hear Salut, Bonjour, Merci and Bonjour, Madame or Monsieur (though Bonjour, The french connection fact or fiction Madame is usually reserved for older people). Allo can be used by both sexes, and it’s equally valid for the plural form, as well as singular.

Another informal greeting is quoi de neuf? – it’s more like the English expression “what’s up?”, and you might even hear it in the movies when two people who have slept together wake up and one greets the other with a big smile, much to the amusement of their friends.

But there are some pedantic grammar issues with this one, because it isn’t the same as salut or Bonjour. When saying quoi de neuf, you must agree in number and gender (as in Salut, Bonjour, Merci and Bonjour, Madame) or the speaker will be understood as being rude or offended. You can, however, say enchante or enchantee to be extra polite. This is often used between family members and close friends. You might even hear it from characters in the Looney Tunes cartoons, as Bugs Bunny says enchantee to Yosemite Sam when they first meet. This is a great, casual way to greet a new friend.

Andy Wirth

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