The Fred Perry brand is regarded as one of the most historic and iconic fashion and sportswear brands in British history. It was founded by the English Wimbledon champion of the same name. Fred Perry clothing has always been incredibly popular for as long as the range has existed, initially starting with nothing more than a basic white polo shirt.
Over the last few decades, the Fred Perry clothing range has embraced, stimulated and in some cases created and led the way in a number of fashions. He was the first brand to make the crossover between streetwear and sportswear when his polo shirts were embraced by the ‘Mod’ subculture.
These days, they have expanded their range of offerings to, for example, Fred Perry Footwear and accessories, and have now also teamed up with several other brands, designers, and celebrities to work collaboratively. Celebrated European designer Raf Simons has created unique collections developed with them over several seasons, and they also have several seasons scheduled for a collaboration with singer Amy Winehouse.
With the level of fame Fred Perry has achieved, they would inevitably sooner or later be targeted by clothing counterfeiters. Unfortunately, when a clothing brand rises in popularity, it also attracts the attention of scammers and counterfeiters looking to make cheap money off unexpected buyers. The most counterfeit item to look out for is the Fred Perry polo shirt as counterfeiters find this to be the cheapest to reproduce and sell and it is also the most popular genuine Fred Perry item.
While it’s usually fairly easy to spot which polo shirts are fake and which ones are real, counterfeiters sometimes use methods to make the replica look a little more like the original, and this can lead to confusion among buyers.
If you are looking for cheap Fred Perry clothing, please pay attention to the following tips to distinguish genuine products from fake ones. Although following this advice cannot guarantee that you will receive the genuine item (the only way to do this would be to buy directly from a reputable and authorized dealer), ignoring it will greatly increase the chance of it being counterfeited.
1) Logo design
Fred Perry Wreath is an extremely recognizable brand logo. Due to how simple the logo is, criminal gangs find it quite easy to replicate. Fortunately, few of them replicate it perfectly, so there are still a few points to keep in mind. First of all, look at exactly where the logo is located. Authentic logos will be right above the heart, probably much higher or lower. Also, it is only sewn or embroidered on the polo shirt, never printed.
2) The Buttons
The buttons on a Fred Perry polo shirt, with a couple of distinctive exceptions, will always be the same color as the main color of the rest of the top. For example, if the polo shirt is mostly red but with a white collar and cuffs, the color of the buttons will always be red. However, there are one or two exceptions to this. One of the collaborations that Fred Perry did with renowned Belgian designer Raf Simons used buttons of opposite colors. Also, there are some limited edition styles coming from Japan that have different colored buttons. However, almost all of Fred Perry’s polo shirts will be the same color.
Additionally, each button will need visibly embossed ‘Fred Perry’ text.
3) The label
The content label on the back of the inside of the garment is an area often overlooked by counterfeiting gangs, although it can contain many clues that hint at the authenticity of the product. This area of the label is usually hard to miss and is printed with the word ‘Fred Perry’ in a very meaningful and crystal clear sans-serif typeface, complemented by garment sizing and the typical Fred Perry crown logo. Fred Perry. Fake items are usually designed in some kind of wiry, spaced-out typeface along with a really bad attempt at a crown logo.
There is an urban myth that t-shirts with a green tag are always fake, however, this is not always the case. If the shirt you’re looking at was made in the last two years, the label will probably be black or blue; but not green. However, if the jersey was made in the ’90s, there’s a good chance it’s green. A Fred Perry polo shirt with a green label will be old and/or fake, but it will never be new and genuine.
4) The store and the merchant
Check out the merchant or store that has the shirt for sale. If you can’t physically see the merchant (such as if you’re shopping on eBay or Craigslist), look at other items, such as photographs and writing. Check the grammar of any text and be sure to call the phone numbers provided to see if they are real.
Examine the merchant if you can. Does he or she (and her store) see themselves as the kind of ambassador that a prestigious brand like Fred Perry would choose to represent them? Is the store tidy or are the clothes piled up everywhere? Where it is located the store? Is it in a respectable business district of the city, or is the ‘store’ a marked car trunk in a Wal-Mart parking lot?
Pay special attention to the selling price. Even though costs fluctuate a bit between stockists, it’s usually not a huge amount. The only time you’ll find new items priced drastically lower than usual would be during a sale or clearance event. It will not be a regular price. If the seller offers a “Buy One Get One Free” deal on their Fred Perry stock, it’s probably fake stock.
5) When in doubt, stay out
This tip cannot be stressed enough. If you have doubts or ‘bad feelings’ as to the authenticity of items, simply don’t buy them. In this way, if the article turns out to be fake, you will not have been scammed and will not have contributed to the success of a criminal enterprise.
If everything seems fine on an item, but you still don’t feel completely confident, you should call Fred Perry. They can help you verify the authenticity of merchandise by looking at different areas of the garment and matching the garment to the product’s unique serial number. If they give you the green light, you will be able to buy with confidence.
The best tool you have to protect yourself from fake products is your brain. If something seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is. When you’re drawn to something that appears to be cheaper than it should be, ask yourself if it makes any sense for this particular item to be priced so low. To ensure your safety, when shopping for a Fred Perry polo shirt, the most effective strategy would be to seek out a reputable and authorized retailer of Fred Perry clothing. There is usually a minimum of one in every major town and city and there are many businesses on the Internet. You can get a definitive list by contacting Fred Perry.
Fred Perry’s clothing has been incredibly popular throughout his life, starting with the first simple polo shirt. Fred Perry polo shirts are incredibly popular all over the world, both with consumers and, sadly, with counterfeiters. Armed with the information in this article, you will be able to identify most fake Fred Perry polo shirts and thus avoid falling victim to criminals.
