Men’s designer clothing – Fred Perry – The Man Behind the Brand

Fred Perry clothing is famed for its retro sports chic, its high quality and of course its laurel wreath logo. But how did this iconic brand come to be so huge, and how did its founder, tennis star Fred Perry, move across from the tennis courts to the catwalks?

Fred Perry may be a name most people associate with men’s designer clothing, but do they ever consider who the man behind the brand is? Perry was actually the first British man to win four grand slam titles, and did so in the face of snobbery and adversity because of his working class background and win-at-all-costs attitude. Born Frederick John Perry in 1909 to a cotton spinner in Stockport, he later attended Ealing County School where he fell in love with table tennis. Once he had won the world championship in 1928, he concentrated on a new obsession – lawn tennis. After competing in high profile tournaments including Wimbledon, Fred Perry toured the US, beating top players by day and dating famous women like Jean Harlow by night. Later in his career Fred was even offered a two-year contract with Paramount Films after winning the United States Championship, but had to turn them down because the Lawn Tennis Association would not allow him to take the work and retain his amateur status, which would mean losing the right to represent his country.

Fred Perry overcame the adversity of injury in 1935 when he broke a rib and lost his French, American and Australian titles as other players seized their chance with Perry out of the picture. In 1936 he fulfilled his vow to return to the courts and win Wimbledon, which he did, as well as the Davis Cup and the US Championship. Once he reached the final of the Pacific Southwest Tournament, Fred Perry announced his decision to go professional, and earned $52,000 touring the USA. He bought into the Beverly Hills Tennis Club, gave lessons to Charlie Chaplin, Errol Flynn and the Marx Brothers, enjoyed the Hollywood party circuit and, once a broken elbow ended his tennis career, joined the BBC as a successful commentator. But it was in the 1940s that Fred Perry was to begin an unexpected career as the founder of a famous men’s designer clothing range. Austrian footballer Tibby Wegner approached him with a design for the first sweatbands, creating Fred Perry Sportswear. The next creation was a white knitted cotton pique sports shirt with short sleeves and buttons down the front. After being showcased on the players at Wimbledon, the shirts were a sell-out and the rest, as they say, was history.

Fred Perry soon became one of the world’s best-loved ranges of mens designer clothing suitable for wearing on and off sports courts and pitches. Now the iconic laurel wreath logo is instantly recognisable as a mark of quality and performance, and sports, fashion and music stars have embraced the brand as the epitome of cool. Not only did Fred Perry dominate the tennis courts throughout his career, but he has triumphed in the fashion industry to produce one of the world’s greatest crossover brands – and one of its most legendary icons.