LONDON — British apparel brand Fred Perry on Thursday unveiled a research partnership with the Westminster Menswear Archive that will bolster the brand’s 75th anniversary celebration in 2027.
The collaboration will be led by Andrew Groves, professor of fashion design at the University of Westminster and director of the Westminster Menswear Archive. Groves will mine personal archives, company records, patents and the sporting press to document Fred Perry’s origins from 1952 and reframe its legacy for today.
Rob Gaitt, brand director of Fred Perry, said Groves’ focus on the founding years gave the brand “a wonderful blueprint” for its approach to 2027.
“A brand founded on product that was fit for purpose, aspirational not elitist, which talked directly to fans and players. Using selective distribution, authenticated by champions via collaborations. Sportswear not just tennis,” he added.
To set the tone for its upcoming diamond-year milestone, the brand in June staged a fashion show at the V&A East Storehouse, for the unveiling of the “Fred Perry Retold” initiatives, which will encompass a new sportswear range that would take the label’s tennis core into a more performance-driven space across the coming year.
Richard Gilmore, managing director at Fred Perry, said the brand will honor the heritage and the principles set on and off the court by the founder himself, while looking forward to many decades more of championing the label’s signature Laurel Wreath motif.
“We remain modernists; our ambition and absolute dedication set a brave new agenda for where the next 75 years will take us,” added Gilmore.
Underscoring its support for emerging talent, Fred Perry has also become a patron of the British Fashion Council. The brand has previously collaborated with British designers including Craig Green, Charles Jeffrey and Nicholas Daley, as well as modern menswear visionaries such as Raf Simons and Kris Van Assche.
