Evolving out of the Mod movement, skinheads rejected the unkempt, flowy aesthetic of middle-class hippies in favor of a clean, hyper-tidy ("smart") look. They adopted Fred Perry polos (launched in 1952 by 3-time Wimbledon winner Fred Perry). As a British working-class hero's brand, the Laurel Wreath logo represented authentic British athletic achievement rather than foreign aristocracy.

Frederick John Perry (1909–1995) was a legendary British tennis player and table tennis World Champion. He remains one of the most successful athletes in British sports history, winning three consecutive Wimbledon singles titles (1934, 1935, and 1936) and becoming the first tennis player in history to achieve a Career Grand Slam.

He came from a distinctly working-class background.

His Origins & Background

Working-Class Roots: Perry was born in Stockport, England. His father, Samuel Perry, was a cotton spinner and trade unionist who later became a Labour and Co-operative Party Member of Parliament (MP).

The "Outsider" Status: During the 1930s, tennis was an overwhelmingly elitist, upper-class sport dominated by Britain’s public-school and Oxbridge establishment. Perry learned to play on public courts, lacking the aristocratic pedigree expected of tennis players at the time.

Snubbed by the Establishment: Despite his unprecedented success, the All England Club treated Perry as a "rebel from the wrong side of the tennis tramlines". When he won his first Wimbledon title in 1934, no official directly congratulated him—instead, the official club tie was simply left on his dressing room chair.

Move to America: Frustrated by the class-conscious tennis establishment, Perry turned professional in late 1936 and emigrated to the United States, where he became a U.S. citizen.

Launching the Brand

In 1952, Fred Perry partnered with Tibby Wegner (a former Austrian footballer) to launch his eponymous sportswear brand. Their cotton piqué polo shirt—emblazoned with the Laurel Wreath logo inspired by the original Wimbledon emblem—was born directly out of Perry's tennis background.

Because Perry was viewed as an underdog who crashed the gate of elite high society through sheer talent, his brand carried an inherent working-class pride and sharp, rebellious edge. This background explains why British working-class subcultures like the Mods and early Skinheads embraced the Fred Perry polo shirt so fiercely in the 1960s.