30 January, 2023

A.P.C. chooses Centric PLM to Structure Collection Planning and Reaffirms its Commitment to Environmental Responsibility

The minimalist fashion brand is undergoing a reorganization to streamline development and formalize its environmental & social policies

CAMPBELL, California, January 31, 2023 – 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.”

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A.P.C. (www.apc.fr)

Created by Jean Touitou in 1987, A.P.C. is a French clothing brand, authentic and accessible by way of its style, prices and philosophy. While A.P.C. first gained renown for its classic jeans in raw denim, the brand now offers a complete collection of men’s and women’s clothing and accessories that embodies a simple, casual elegance. Jean Touitou works with his wife, Judith Touitou, artistic director of A.P.C.

While their design studio and workshop are based in Paris, A.P.C. also has a strong international presence with 70 of its own stores around the world, including locations in Paris, New York, L.A., London, Sydney, Hong Kong, Berlin and Tokyo.

Centric Software® (www.centricsoftware.com) 

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software provides a product concept to launch platform for consumer goods such as fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor, consumer electronics, cosmetics & personal care and food & beverage. Centric Software’s flagship Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, Centric PLM®, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and product portfolio optimization innovations specifically for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric Visual BoardsTM offer highly visual, touch-screen experiences for collaboration and decision-making. Centric Planning™ is an innovative, cloud-native, augmented-intelligence solution delivering end-to-end retail planning to maximize retail and wholesale business performance.  Centric Market Intelligence™, powered by StyleSage™, is an AI-driven market insight platform for data-informed decision-making on pricing and product assortments to maximize revenue and margins. Among many other market-driven innovations, Centric Software is widely known for its connectivity to dozens of other enterprise systems, including ERP, DAM, PIM, e-com and more, in addition to creative tools such as Adobe® Illustrator, a host of 3D CAD connectors and sustainability tools, such as HIGG. Centric Software has the highest user adoption rate, customer satisfaction rate and fastest time to value in the industry.

Centric Software is a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the world leader in 3D design software, 3D digital mock-up and PLM solutions. 

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, including being named by Red Herring to its Top 100 Global list several times. Centric Software also received five excellence awards from Frost & Sullivan over the past decade. 

Centric Software and Centric PLM are registered trademarks of Centric Software, Inc. In the US and other countries. All third-party trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. 