Frederick John Perry, born 1909

Tennis Legend Fred Perry would have had his 100th birthday this year & in celebration, the sportswear brand that bears his name has launched a series of products designed specifically to mark his centennial year.

Using the same collaborative model now common place in sports endorsement deals where the sports figure collaborates with the sportswear company to customize a series of offerings in which they feel comfortable wearing to perform, or in this case play/compete. This collaborative series is unique however, as the products being offered aren’t specific to sports & in some cases not even related to fashion. These joint musings include a series of dressier sportswear options designed by Raf Simons that were inspired heavily by the original pieces that Perry himself wore when he first began hiscompany & career, there will be 4 exclusive gigs dedicated to the Fred Perry legacy at the legendary 100 Club in Oxford Street in London starring both legends & emerging talent, the UK arm of the Urban Cup, a world renowned table tennis league (the sport which originally launched the career of Perry himself) will benefit from a series of Fred Perry inspired table tennis tables customized by leading figures of the music, art & fashion worlds that will be auctioned, & finally there are a series of 100 limited edition Vespa GTV motor scooters that have been produced as a collaboration between Piaggio & Fred Perry & will be available in the UK, France, Japan & USA.

Your chance to get in on the Fred Perry Centennial mania will begin Friday, May 15th, when a series of limited edition commemorative Fred Perry Polo Shirts will go on sale with the traditional 16 leaf laurel wreath logo slightly enlarged with the centenary embroidery beneath. The shirts are being done in four color ways – white with leaf tipping, black with champagne tipping, 1964 sky with navy tipping & finally red with white tipping. All four color ways reference classic Fred Perry color ways from the collections early years.

The polos will be available through the Perry Soho store in New York (133 Wooster St, between Prince & Houston), Neiman Marcus in Dallas, Citizen Clothing in San Francisco & other selected retailers around the country. The shirt will retail for $95.00.

 -Scott French