Fred Perry polo shirts, a recognised symbol for style and quality.
Posted On March 16, 2009 at 12:24 pm in Polo Shirts, Stock
The Fred Perry polo shirt is as popular today as it was when he introduced the new, soft collared, short sleeved, knitted white cotton pique ‘tennis shirt’ at Wimbledon in 1952. Fred Perry polo shirts with the iconic laurel badge, a recognised symbol for style and quality, have a worldwide following.
Born in Cheshire in 1909. Fred Perry became a champion English tennis player at the age of 26. He won the Wimbledon men’s championship 3 times in a row and became an English sporting icon. Today he is as well known for his polo shirts with their distinctive laurel logo as he is for his tennis.
The polo shirt really started life as tennis shirt. In the early nineteenth and twentieth centuries the standard dress for players was tennis whites, typically white, stiff collared, long sleeved, button fronted shirts - not the most comfortable garment for an energetic sport. In 1926, Rene’ Lacoste the French tennis champion designed a white short sleeve loosely knit pique cotton shirt in a material he called “petit pique”. With its soft collar, short-cuffed sleeves, button placket and longer shirttail in back (for tucking in trousers or shorts) the new stylish easy to wear tennis shirt was a success with both tennis players and polo players, who quickly adopted it as their own. By the time Fred Perry launched his iconic brand at Wimbledon 1952 the term ’polo’ shirt was already being used by tennis players and manufacturers.
The popularity of the easy to wear Fred Perry’s polo shirt quickly spread beyond the sporting fraternity and it became popular for work and leisure. In the late 1950′s and through to the 1970′s it became part of the emerging youth cult and was a ‘badge’, firstly for the ‘Mods’ and later for other diverse teenage groups. This was a defining period for the polo shirts we buy today. When Fred Perry first put his name to polo shirts you could have any colour just as long as it was white. Young people were now demanding brighter colours – and they got them.
One of the reasons that polo shirts have stood the test of time is their sheer versatility and ability to meet the challenges of each new generation. Combining good looks with durability, modern polo shirts have that air of ’smartness’ that make them acceptable when a T shirt just won’t do. With a wide range of bang up to date colours and designs which look good with just about any clothes combination – jeans, trousers, shorts or jackets the Fred Perry polo is the first choice for work, leisure and sport. Denims4u.co.uk have a wide range of Fred Perry polo shirts, all with the distinctive laurel crest : our stable of polo shirts have all the style and breeding you expect from the classic Fred Perry polo shirt. With a stunning selection of styles, plain and contemporary colour combinations, and with many subtle nuances of design and detail to choose from you are sure to find a polo shirt as individual as you are.
The Fred Perry Polo is a timeless classic an essential part of any man’s wardrobe. Popular for decades the original polo shirts have been widely copied but for the discerning buyer it has to be a Fred Perry polo.