British retailer Oi Polloi has unveiled a collaborative capsule with Fred Perry that channels the British brand’s iconic archive.
Comprising four items — a Harrington jacket, two polo shirts, and a pair of drawstring shorts — the collection looks back at Fred Perry’s consistent use of terry toweling, and a Hermès Citroën 2CV.
Paying homage to the history of Fred Perry, the collection combines the stalwart’s heritage wears with a series of elevated references. “Inspiration for the color palette comes from some ’70s and ’80s luxury brands, especially Hermès’ collaboration with Citroën — they made a 2CV and all the luggage to go with it… that in of itself was pretty cool, but the colors were out of this world – it was like a brown metallic you don’t see a lot of anymore. I don’t think there’s anything not to like about it,” explains Oi Polloi’s Steve Sanderson.
Sanderson continues: “This range is our version of what Fred Perry should be in this day and age, still based on the classic British sportswear that we’d first encountered growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, but blended with a kinda European sportswear sensibility. We also wanted it to be sturdy, harking back to that public schoolboy-kinda kit, if that doesn’t sound too mad… Fred Perry has been a massive cultural force over the years, having been reappropriated by loads of different kinds of subcultural movements over time. I really didn’t want that to influence us. That stuff is all well and good, but this is more about the classy sportswear, the real-deal tennis stuff and the European vibe. We want it to stand on its own terms.”
As a result, stand-out pieces from the duo include a summer-ready Harrington jacket made from 100-percent twill cotton and full terry towel lining, complete with slashed pockets with buttoned flaps, a buttoned neck tab, ribbed cuffs and hems, and dual-zip fastening.
The capsule also introduces a series of terry toweling polo shirts which are inspired by a 1956 polo that’s not been in circulation since the ’70s. Drawstring shorts round off the collection, which has been made using twill cotton.
Check out the lookbook below and cop the Oi Polloi x Fred Perry capsule from the Oi Polloi website and in its U.K. stores on 28 July.
