September 16, 2020: Paying homage to London’s basement music venue called the 100 Club and the distinctive youth subcultures created in the venue, designer Raf Simons has teamed up with Fred Perry, a renowned British clothing brand founded in 1952 by three-time Wimbledon Champion Fred Perry.
Inspired by the energy of the youth, Raf Simons – who is also the current Co-Creative Director of Prada – reinterprets classic Fred Perry pieces blended with the subtleties of his eponymous line. Reflecting the vibrancy and character of the famed venue and its bands, the collection is decorated with images from the book published by Fred Perry and Ditto that celebrates the club’s 75-year long history through anecdotal stories. Raf Simons draws inspiration from mentions of influential figures like Bev Elliott (Canadian actress) and Iain R Webb (renowned fashion writer and journalist) in the book.
The Fred Perry pique polo shirt is reinterpreted once more in a way that feels new and subversive, darted and with digitally printed photographs – detachable with a special Raf Simons branded pin badge in silver.
Oversized woven shirts come with various patches in different sizes while retaining traditional shirting details. Other clothing pieces comprise oversized chunky knit jumpers with fixed patches on the back and sleeve, and a long woollen coat with a relaxed fit like in the Raf Simons mainline collection.
There is also an olive-green parka with detachable fleece liner. Dropped shoulders on sweatshirts unexpected print and logo applications feature on a palette of black, red, blue and white.
Themes from the 100 Club Stories book like cross-generations of kids coming of age and using their clothes as a powerful tool for expressing their identity inspired Raf Simons to bring his distinctive design approach to Fred Perry archive styles. The autumn/winter 2020 range will be available online on FredPerry.com along with select Fred Perry shops.
