Love Clothing: Ben Sherman: Iconic British Fashion

Ben Sherman

Alfred Benjamin Sugarman, a British Stylist better known under his alias Ben Sherman founded his eponymous brand in 1963. Today the brand is a true fashion reference, but it actually all started with a shirt factory near Brighton.The Ben Sherman business started in a small factory with just 10 employees. The brand differentiated itself by using higher-quality materials and unique stitching details compared to the existing imported shirts.

This made Ben Sherman shirts immediately popular with the Mod-Cons of the time. by 1965, business expansion allowed the opening of a small office at the top of a shabby office block in Central London, which also acted a showroom for the first Ben Shermancollections. The brand continued to expand and in 1967 Sherman opened his first store in his hometown of Brighton. The rest, as they say, is history. From the start Ben Sherman shirts could be distinguished thanks to their highly recognizable large collars with an extra button compared to classic shirts, but also all because of the unmistakable red, white and blue target logo.

In 1963 Sugarman moved back to the UK and changed his name to Ben Sherman. He realized that the modern jazz fans of London were eagerly buying the Oxford-cloth American button-down shirts from brands such as Brooks Brothers and Hathaway. At the time, this American-style of shirt was only available from official importers leaving a gap in the UK market. Seeing this gap, Ben Sherman decided to make his own version of the popular button-down shirt as well as a collection of resort-wear holiday clothes that were growing in popularity throughout both post-war US and Europe.

Originally targeting the wealthy-portion of the market, his customers demanded a tailor-made product. His famous button-down shirts were quickly adopted by followers of bands such as The Beatles, The Troggs and The Kinks. The design of the shirts, with their sleek, effortlessly cool look was an instant hit with Mod music fans – Ben Sherman had found its niche in the fashion market.With the creation of the classic Ivy League look, Ben Sherman integrated his own trademarks with the button at the back of the collar, a breast pocket with the Ben Sherman logo, a placket front and a loop for hanging the shirt sewn into the back.

These features along with the unique pastel strips and bright colours have formed the high quality product which remains a fashion staple for many. Shortly after the foundation of the Ben Sherman, British music groups such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, The Police and The Kinks were wearing the brand.

This propelled the popularity of the style and of course the Ben Sherman brand name. The association of Ben Sherman with musicians has continued and today stars and groups such Blur Oasis, Fatboy Slim, Moby, Bare Naked Ladies and Incubus are all fans of the brand.

The British founded fashion label remains a powerhouse in worldwide fashion having instilled a legacy for high quality mod clothing adopted in large by the youth generation. With stores continuing to grow globally, we will see Ben Sherman going from strength to strength in the years to come. It truly is a great British fashion success story.

Some of Ben Sherman Collection at Love Clothing....