Art Comes First Reworks Classic Fred Perry Garments For SS20

Following their Spring/Summer 19 collaboration that celebrated the beauty of record sleeves, Sam Lambert and Shaka Maidoh — known collectively as Art Comes First — have again linked up with Fred Perry to delve deep into its archives to reinterpret classic pieces through the “rude boy” lens.

Art Comes First is a London-based collective known for its bespoke clothing, which draws inspiration from global subcultures to inform its designs. They aim to bring suiting and classic menswear back into the everyday lives of their audience, while opening up the historically exclusionary world of tailoring.

For this collaboration, the collective looked to Dave Hendley, a photographer who captured the spirit of rude boy culture in Jamaica and the UK in the mid-to-late seventies, drawing inspiration from his work and applying their own vision of style to Fred Perry classics.

The signature Fred Perry Shirt arrives with added bold prints and colourful details, as well as a three-colour stripe on the chest, an embroidered felt patch and an all-over monochrome print, based on archive Fred Perry swim shorts from the mid-1980s.

Stand-out designs in the collection include the bowling shirt in “Fred Red,” which features an open collar and boxy fit; the open-knit crew neck with a bold stripe design; and the heavy twill Harrington – trimmed with a bold striped tape at the placket, shield badge and textured Art Comes First logo on the rear.

The full Art Comes First x Fred Perry collection will be available from July 23 from the Fred Perry webstore.

In other news, Séfr has presents sartorial sophistication alongside elevated essentials for SS21.