What’s in a name? A brand expert on FCUK Australia’s rebranding

Buried in the PR about renaming French Connection (popularly known as FCUK) Australia, distribution group Brandbank CEO Peter Halkett says, “Now is the time to discontinue the Australian distribution deal”. But he stresses, “French Connection may continue in Australia through another distribution network”.

Say what.

So they are taking a shell, previously known as French Connection Australia, giving it a new name, but the global business owners can and might reboot it with someone else.

Or, to put it another way. Brandbank is unsatisfied with decades-long name recognition, which included t-shirts emblazoned with FCUK that became controversy magnets. And have decided to lay waste to the legacy goodwill of a 50-year-old company, using it as a springboard for a new fashion thing.

Disingenuous feels like a fitting descriptor for what they’re doing.