FCUK - Why do they sell these in Ireland?

whiskeyman

Wandered around a FCUK shop a while ago in town, browsing the t-shirts, when I came across one with the following txt:
'UK Defence Forces' - with a big skull / lightening logo.

And another with a british bulldog, wearing the Union Jack with some text like 'British Armed Forces - Unit 57'*.

What made the store manager / area manager approve to bring in these items?
Shouldn't they have known demand for such would be very minimal (if at all?) in Ireland?
I know they often have designs with the Union Jack build in... just seems very odd.
Maybe the area manager can't refuse to bring in a certain type of stock?

xzanti

Yeah Miss Selfridge used to sell glittery Union Jack socks and bikinis.. Never quite understood it myself..

stovelid

I'm off to set fire to myself outside the shop right this minute.

Mena

I guess they sell them because there's a market for it? Don't see what the problem is myself...

Malari

Maybe there is a policy that they have to sell a certain proportion of the season line in all their shops? And there probably is a market for them. Not everyone living in Ireland is in the habit of avoiding the union jack owing to some warped sense of nationist pride. I think it's a cool motif and looks good in some clothes. People wear Brazilian, Spanish, Italian colours, etc so why not the union jack? I'd have no problem with it. Better than green and orange.

miss no stars

Malari wrote: »

Maybe there is a policy that they have to sell a certain proportion of the season line in all their shops? And there probably is a market for them. Not everyone living in Ireland is in the habit of avoiding the union jack owing to some warped sense of nationist pride. I think it's a cool motif and looks good in some clothes. People wear Brazilian, Spanish, Italian colours, etc so why not the union jack? I'd have no problem with it. Better than green and orange.

Personally I do see a problem with it, but then again, I see a problem with anyone eblazening a flag that is not their own all over themselves. Sure, I've had clothes with tiny little flags like reebok runners but it wouldn't wear a union jack tshirt. I did wear a "Stars and Stripes" one but that's because I was in florida for the 4th of July so when in Rome.... I do think that flags deserve a little more respect though, than to be made into motifs and boxers.

Malari

miss no stars wrote: »

I do think that flags deserve a little more respect though, than to be made into motifs and boxers.

Why is that, if you don't mind explaining?

miss no stars

They're a national emblem that is supposed to be central to the heart of the country. It represents the past of the country. A flag is the symbol of a nation, it's how a country is recognised world wide. Just think how much blood has been shed in the name of a flag and what it symbolises. Think of all the pain, death and suffering because of flags.

I think that the flags, and the people who died (some in vain) for the sake of a flag deserve more respect than to be a "Design motif". There are plenty of other motifs out there.

SarahJ

I never really thought bout it TBH, but when I think back, I used to work in Miss Selfridge, and we used to get Union Jack bits and bobs in, and I always used to wonder why. They'd end up in the sale bin or not even put out on the floor.

Having said that, I wouldn't buy things with an Irish flag on them, cos I don't feel the need to parade it around. Its a bit tacky IMHO

Mena

miss no stars wrote: »

They're a national emblem that is supposed to be central to the heart of the country. It represents the past of the country. A flag is the symbol of a nation, it's how a country is recognised world wide. Just think how much blood has been shed in the name of a flag and what it symbolises. Think of all the pain, death and suffering because of flags.

I think that the flags, and the people who died (some in vain) for the sake of a flag deserve more respect than to be a "Design motif". There are plenty of other motifs out there.

To be fair, it's a bunch of colours and perhaps a symbol on some cloth. Nothing special. If you were born 600km's to the East you'd have no problem with it.

(Think we're going a bit off topic for this forum though, so perhaps a new post somewhere (politics?) is called for.)

miss no stars

Tbh, I'd still have a problem with it as it's not any flag in particular I have a problem with, just the idea of using a flag as a motif

It may be just colours and cloth, but in a particular combination deserves more respect. If it's worth saluting/standing to attention for, it doesn't deserve to be used as underwear/a motif.

jdivision

because British people (iirc) are the largest immigrant group into Ireland?

maninblack

jdivision wrote: »

because British people (iirc) are the largest immigrant group into Ireland?

Was about to mention this.

It's not just Irish people who shop in these places. Plenty of British over here. There's obviously a sizeable enough target market. You hardly think they'd burden the shipping costs for an unsellable item just for ****s and giggles?

Publin

maninblack wrote: »

Was about to mention this.

It's not just Irish people who shop in these places. Plenty of British over here. There's obviously a sizeable enough target market. You hardly think they'd burden the shipping costs for an unsellable item just for ****s and giggles?

Good point. Doesn't bother me personally, I don't buy such merchandise as I'm not British, although I don't have any clothes with Irish flags on them either. It is a bit tacky in my opinion. Generally speaking, I don't like seeing any flags on clothing.

I remember when Rangers jerseys went on sale in JJB sports. I had a friend who worked there, they sold two from that particular store in the course of the first 6-7 months of stocking them. However, obviously the stuff does eventually sell.

I think a lot of the time they get the same stock for the UK and Ireland and just don't pay that much attention to cultural differences/sensitivities. Some/many companies just treat Ireland as part of the UK market, as generally we have quite similar tastes and a lot in common.

Slightly off topic but related to the above theme. Anyone else remember when the mobile phone company Orange launched in the North? Their slogan of "The future's bright, the future's Orange" didn't go down too well on the Falls Road... :pac:

robtri

I believe that if the shops want to sell them, then thats fine, I personally wouldn't touch them in a million years, our national colours and other countries are worth more than that..

simu

Maybe the individual branches of these franchises don't get to pick their own stuff? I was in a Coast store the other day and asked if they were getting more of one item of clothing in in the size I wanted. The shop assistant said she didn't know and that they don't get to pick the contents of the packages sent to them by the company HQ. Perhaps it's the same for FCUK?

You see the same in Waterstones and Debenhams - I guess large British chains can't be bothered modifying their inventory selection for our tiny little country (compared to the massive UK).

Personally, I would never wear a Union Jack, though - it just seems wrong and disrespectful to my ancestors!

il gatto

Tbh, the people who buy clothes and decide what's "in" for Autumn wouldn't put history or politics too high in their list of pastimes. That's the benefit of the doubt. If they are into history and politics, it'd be a very obtuse act. I never see anyone wear a Union Jack. People have an aversion to it, even if it's only to avoid dirty looks and comments from random people.

Crash

why not? you could look this good

tdc

i know what you mean but the days where someone would say "we cant send a t-shirt with a union jack on it into ireland" are well and truly gone.

maninblack

Going Forward wrote: »

why not? you could look this good

christ, dont even think Angelina Jolie could rescue that look

Slice

FCUK was originally French Connection's send up of Donna Karen's DKNY. Last I heard French Connection were phasing out the FCUK brand and revert to just French Connection

Climate Expert

We used to get this all the time when I worked in Topman. No amount of calls to head office worked, they'd still ship us this **** every week. It never got put out on the shop floor.