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The Fred Perry laurel wreath has
developed into one of the best known and most instantly
recognisable logos in the fashion world. The origins of the
laurel were, perhaps not surprisingly, derived from Fred’s
sporting pedigree as a three-times winner of Wimbledon and a
Davis Cup champion. In the late 1940s Fred Perry was
approached by Tibby Wegner, an Austrian footballer who had
invented an anti-perspirant device worn around the wrist.
Perry made a few changes and invented the sweatband. Wegner's
next idea was to produce a sports shirt which was to be made
from white knitted cotton pique with short sleeves and buttons
down the front. Launched at Wimbledon in 1952, the Fred Perry
polo shirt was an immediate success. The brand is best known
for its laurel logo, which appears on the left breast of the
tennis shirts. The laurel logo (based on the old Wimbledon
symbol) was stitched into the fabric of the shirt instead of
merely ironed on. The polo shirt was only available in white
until the late 50s when the mods picked up on it and demanded
a more varied colour palette. It was the shirt of choice for
diverse groups of teenagers throughout the 1960s and 70s,
ranging from the skinheads to the Northern Soul scene and
Manchester's very own "Perry Boys", a group of violent
football supporters whose exploits were recently documented in
the book of that name by author Ian Hough. The clothing brand
has also become popular amongst young teens in Ireland. This
subdivision group has become recognisable by the Fred Perry
knitwear generally purple in color with white strips. This
attire can be a way of recognising the Irish working class
citizens from the more "upper class". It started one of the
most enduring and affectionate relationships between British
youth culture and a sportswear brand. As British street
fashion and music influenced the rest of the world, the Fred
Perry shirt was noticed, adopted and worn in numerous
countries around the globe. One thing remains constant. The
original slim fit cotton pique shirt is still made in England
to the same shape, using the same fabric as it was when the
Fred Perry shirt was first launched, way back in 1952.
Fashions may come and go, but style is timeless. |
