Brand identity
While the Ben Sherman brand has been described as having become a "safe choice" in recent years, Fred Perry, along with Lonsdale, is still considered 'edgy', or even controversial.[25][26][4]
"Fueled by sensationalist television, all skinheads were stereotyped as mindless, violent, and racist, with little attempt made to discriminate one subgroup from another. In the eyes of the media and the public, every skinhead was a racist, everyone who wore a Fred Perry shirt was a fascist, and everyone who wore Doc Martens boots was a Nazi.[27]" In 2015, The Guardian wrote that Fred Perry is a "a brand with its signature polo shirt that has consistently drawn on its heritage while remaining relevant."[28]
In France, Fred Perry clothes are popular with both far-left and far-right activists, with both descending from the skinhead subculture.[29] In June 2013, a fight broke out outside a private sale of Fred Perry apparel in Paris, in which far-left activist Clément Méric was killed by the far right.[29]
In recent years, the Fred Perry company has published a series of statements communicating its support for diversity and tolerance; however this has not stopped ongoing debate as to what values the Fred Perry brand, and those wearing Fred Perry, represent.[4]
The years from 2016 on saw the Fred Perry brand come to global attention again when Vice Media co-founder and former commentator Gavin McInnes founded a far-right group in North America, calling themselves the Proud Boys. The Proud Boys adopted one of Fred Perry's most iconic colour combinations, yellow and black, as their own.[30][11][31]
In 2017, Fred Perry's CEO John Flynn denounced the affiliation with the Proud Boys in a statement to CBC Radio, saying: "We don't support the ideals or the group that you speak of. It is counter to our beliefs and the people we work with."[32] In 2019, Fred Perry announced that they would stop selling their yellow and black shirts in the United States. In September 2020, the retailer announced that it will not sell them in the United States until association with Proud Boys has ended.[33] There is little sign of the actions by the Fred Perry company having any impact on the Proud Boys association with the brand – the Proud Boys logo is the iconic Fred Perry laurel with 'PB', and Proud Boys members continue to wear Fred Perry yellow and black polos.[34][35][36]
In his life, Fred Perry himself never commented on the politics surrounding his brand. Shortly before his death in 1995, he made a comment on the brand's popularity: "Being a realistic man, I have never worried about admitting that my name is better known worldwide not for winning Wimbledon three times, but because of Fred Perry shirts and sportswear.[7]"
Controversial British journalist/blogger Graham Phillips is a known fan of Fred Perry.[37]
