As British as tea and scones, summer showers, queuing for a pint and apologising when it’s not your fault, is the culture kings Fred Perry. The quintessential-ness of the brand’s British display cannot be stressed enough with its effect over mod, punk, and britpop subcultures and all thanks to a British man’s blinding determination to do something better than a foreigner.

As pseudo humble as we are being a nation of underachievers, seeing something so British as Fred Perry draped across the shoulders of celebs is as bizarre as it comes in the fashion world. Although seeing a mass adoption in the beginning of the century thanks to the UK indie scene (good) and that unusual American mid-noughties preppy style that everyone from Zac Efron to Jesse Metcalfe (bad) was trying to work, the adoption by the likes of Drake, A$AP Rocky (and the A$AP Mob) and even dandy dude supreme Robert Pattison has baffled few and influenced many.

 

Pete Doherty – Twin Tipped Polo

Kate Moss – Wreath Knit

 

 

Amy Winehouse – Signature Fred Perry collection

A number of notable faces in music have been seen sporting the Fred Perry Laurel Wreath over the years. Celebrities including Paul Weller, Amy Winehouse, Pete Docherty and bands including Oasis, Blur, and Radiohead have all chosen the Fred Perry Lauren Wreath for the brand’s authenticity, style, and timeless design, defining the brand in it’s elder statesmen role at the beginning of the century, all taking the influence from it’s subculture domination of the past. If they’re British rock royalty, then they’ve probably been papped in Fred Perry.

 

Thom Yorke – Twin Tipped Polo

 

Freddie Mercury – Twin Tipped Polo

Paul Weller – Twin Tipped Polo

Keeping the ethos of founder Fred “I didn’t set out to be a good sport, Champion was good enough for me” Perry has been at the forefront of the brands approach to marketing and advertising, allowing subcultures and celebrities to bare the heralded logo as a stamp of authenticity. Teaming up with Raf “I like very much to put on fashion shows” Simmons has provided the brand a new lease of authenticity and attraction from high fashion fetishers, taking the wreath and placing it out of its comfort zone and into the hands of rappers, basketballers, RnB artists and oddball actors, reinventing the attraction the brand to fashions current trendsetters.

A$AP Rocky – Twin Tipped Polo

A$AP Nast – Checkerboard Tipped Polo

Drake – Raf Simons x Fred Perry Denim Shirt Jacket

 

Like Raf said;

I’m usually very attracted to things that I can’t define. If something’s too clear, it’s very often not inspiring to me anymore.

and that sums up the approach of the brand in its latter days, working with skaters, the avant-garde, legendary cyclists and retro revivalists. With one common theme, offering the best dressed in British clobber.

 

I was generally regarded as the best-dressed player of my time… I’m a great believer in trying to look the part. It’s a fetish with me.

• Fred Perry

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