In Pictures: French Connection makes every day ‘Your Call’ for AW26 campaign

British fashion brand French Connection has launched its AW26 campaign, Your Call, placing the small decisions that shape a day at the centre of its latest collection and imagery.

The campaign features moments such as taking ten quiet minutes over coffee or leaving an event without feeling obliged to explain. Against this backdrop, clothing is presented not simply as something to wear, but as a support for decisions about time and priorities, as well as what to wear.

Helen Gallagher, Head of Design at French Connection, said: “The Your Call campaign is about the decisions we make every day - not about what to wear, but what you will give your time to and what you won't. And having the clothes that make you feel ready for whatever you decide.”

The AW26 collection has been developed with different aspects of everyday life in mind, with a focus on distinctive details, considered styling and versatility. Easy-to-wear combinations are designed to make getting dressed more straightforward, while individual pieces can be adapted across different settings and levels of formality.

“French Connection has always had confidence and personality. The way we express that has naturally evolved. Today, it’s less about telling someone who to be and more about giving them the confidence to make it their own,” she added.

Rather than designing for a single customer profile, Gallagher says she considers how women dress for the different roles and situations in their lives.

“I don't design with one specific woman in my head. I am much more interested in how women actually get dressed and the different versions of themselves they need clothes for - we are end-use driven. Something has to work in real life, but I still want it to make you feel something when you put it on.”

Her own test is simple: whether she would want to wear a piece herself and whether it would make her feel good. “If the answer is no, it's probably not right,” she said.

Among the collection’s key pieces is a check co-ord featured in the campaign imagery, which Gallagher identifies as her favourite. The matching set offers a complete look while allowing for flexibility if plans or dress codes change throughout the day.

The collection process follows French Connection’s wholesale calendar, with work on winter ranges beginning several months before the season. Gallagher says she often starts by vintage shopping without a fixed brief, looking for details, proportions, colour combinations and the character of individual garments that can inform the design process.

Since joining French Connection in 2023, Gallagher has helped establish a designer-led approach that runs from initial concept through to the finished product. Her tenure forms part of the brand’s broader evolution from the provocative identity associated with its FCUK era towards an approach that places greater emphasis on individual expression and versatility.

French Connection’s AW26 collection is available online and in stores through a series of drops.