Fred Perry was a British championship-winning tennis player who won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships from 1934 to 1936. He shot to fame in Britain as the first tennis player to win a ‘career grand slam’ at age 26 in 1935 when he won all four major singles titles.
In the 1940s, Fred Perry was approached by an ex-Austrian football player, Tibby Wegner, who had invented the first sweatband. Wegner and Perry worked together to launch the sweatband as the first product in the Fred Perry clothing line.
The idea for the logo, the laurel wreath, was based on the original Wimbledon symbol. It is now one of the most recognised logos worldwide.
The next idea for the label was to produce a sports shirt, and hence the signature Fred Perry polo shirt was born. Launched at Wimbledon in 1952 the polo became an immediate success. Although at the time it was only available in white and branded specifically as a tennis shirt.
Later on in the 1950s the demand for the Fred Perry polo increased, More colours became available – being popular with sportsmen and non-sports people alike. Since then the Fred Perry brand has continued to increase, now stocking polo shirts, footwear, jackets and other clothing.
Now, Fred Perry is one of the largest brands of both sportswear and casualwear worldwide. Its famous logo has been worn by current British tennis number one Andy Murray and cyclist Bradley Wiggins, who launched his own collection within Fred Perry in 2015.
At Mainline Menswear, we stock a huge array of Fred Perry clothing and footwear, including the signature polo shirt in an extensive collection of colours.