A.P.C., French clothing and accessories brand for men and women, has chosen Centric Software’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution to power its digital transformation. Centric Software® provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source and sell products such as apparel, footwear, sporting goods, furniture, home décor, cosmetics, food & beverage and luxury to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.
Founded in 1987 by Jean Touitou, A.P.C. offers authentic, accessible and sustainable ready-to-wear collections. Originally a specialist in raw denim, the company now distributes a wide range of clothing and accessories inspired by everyday life, with a sober and relaxed elegance. With an international presence, A.P.C. runs a diversified distribution network: independent boutiques, wholesalers, websites and distribution licenses, particularly in Japan and South Korea. Each season, the brand launches nearly 1,500 references, in addition to four to six annual collaborations in partnership with major fashion brands and personalities.
A.P.C. continues to grow and develop internationally, and the company’s organization requires constant coordination between the design studio and its various departments.
“Each prototype developed upstream corresponds to a product presented on the racks,” explains Fabrice Henneron, A.P.C.’s studio director. “We must therefore be extremely efficient, regardless of the complexity and number of products.”
Social and environmental responsibility is another pillar of the brand, based on an approach that has been implemented organically for many years: rigorous choice of materials, certified factories, ethical working conditions, absence of fur, down or feathers, reuse of surplus fabrics, a collection program for used jeans, and more. A.P.C. does not destroy anything and has always been committed to integrating eco-responsible materials into its products.
To structure its collections, A.P.C. leveraged an internally developed PLM tool along with Excel spreadsheets, which were used on a daily basis by many employees. This process was becoming more cumbersome as the brand expanded, and A.P.C. needed to quickly identify a solution capable of streamlining exchanges between its teams.
“We wanted to turn our product managers and collection managers into real specialists in their field, and no longer be back-office teams spending 60% to 70% of their time entering data into Excel spreadsheets,” says Fabrice Henneron. “In terms of traceability and fabric composition, our suppliers do not all communicate at the same level of detail, hence the need to invest in a solution to collect, make reliable, and standardize this information.”
A.P.C. first chose Centric Software for its sophisticated multi-channel, multi-category and international collection planning capabilities, as well as for its business knowledge and long experience in the fashion industry. The richness and configuration power of Centric PLM® was a third key factor. With Centric PLM, A.P.C. intends to record and track all data related to environmental scores and percentages delivered by its suppliers, to check the authenticity of certificates, their validity dates, and so on. Eventually, the solution should enable A.P.C. to cover up to 80% of its needs.
Fabrice Henneron outlines the benefits expected by A.P.C., “With Centric, we will have space dedicated to environmental data; algorithms will calculate the scores and percentages of recycled materials and integrate this information into various product nomenclatures. Finally, Centric’s data will feed our website, our applications and our ERP. Product, merchandising and manufacturing teams – a total of about 50 employees – will use the solution.”
“We are delighted that A.P.C., a clean, elegant, international brand that is in tune with the social and environmental concerns of our time, has chosen to work with Centric Software,” said Chris Groves, president and CEO of Centric Software. “With Centric PLM, A.P.C. is well positioned to continue its successful trajectory, tracking its social and environmental performance indicators in a meaningful and comprehensive way. We look forward to building on this promising partnership.”
