Proud Boys: Fred Perry stops selling black-and-yellow polo in the US over association with far-right group

A British clothing company has removed a popular polo shirt for sale in the US after it became associated with the far-right Proud Boys group.

Proud Boys gather for a rally at Delta Park Vanport on September 26, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. Picture: Amy Harris/Shutterstock

A British clothing company has removed a popular polo shirt from sale in the US after it became associated with the far-right Proud Boys group.

Fred Perry said in a statement on Thursday it had stopped selling one of its signature black-and-yellow shirts in the US last year because it had grown popular with members of the group.

“Fred Perry does not support and is in no way affiliated with the Proud Boys,” the statement said. “It is incredibly frustrating that this group has appropriated our Black/Yellow/Yellow twin tipped shirt and subverted our Laurel Wreath to their own ends.”

The Proud Boys, founded in 2016 by Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes in response to the rise of the far-left Antifa movement, has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Its members regularly engage in street brawls with groups including Antifa and Black Lives Matter.

Last year two of its members were sentenced to four years in prison in New York over charges stemming from a 2018 street brawl.

McInnes is suing the SPLC for defamation over the hate group designation, saying it has harmed his income and reputation and helped “de-platform” him.

In 2018, the controversial watchdog group paid UK-based anti-extremism activist Maajid Nawaz a $US3.3 million ($A4.6 million) settlement after falsely labelling him an “anti-Muslim extremist”.

Fred Perry, which is now owned by Japan’s Hit Union, said its shirt was a “piece of British subcultural uniform, adopted by various groups of people who recognise their own values in what it stands for”.

“We are proud of its lineage and what the Laurel Wreath has represented for over 65 years – inclusivity, diversity and independence,” the statement said.

Fred Perry said it was ‘frustrating’ the polo had been adopted by the Proud Boys. Picture: Maranie R. Staab/AFP

“The Black/Yellow/Yellow twin tipped shirt has been an important part of that uniform since its introduction in the late 70s, and has been adopted generation after generation by various subcultures, without prejudice.”

It continued that “despite its lineage, we have seen that the Black/Yellow/Yellow twin tipped shirt is taking on a new and very different meaning in North America as a result of its association with the Proud Boys”.

“That association is something we must do our best to end,” it said.

“We therefore made the decision to stop selling the Black/Yellow/Yellow twin tipped shirt in the US from September 2019, and we will not sell it there or in Canada again until we’re satisfied that its association with the Proud Boys has ended.”

Fred Perry does not support and is in no way affiliated with the Proud Boys. Read our statement here.

— Fred Perry (@fredperry) September 25, 2020

The company added, “To be absolutely clear, if you see any Proud Boys materials or products featuring our Laurel Wreath or any Black/Yellow/Yellow related items, they have absolutely nothing to do with us, and we are working with our lawyers to pursue any unlawful use of our brand.”

The statement included an earlier quote from Fred Perry chairman John Flynn when questioned about the issue in 2017.

“Fred was the son of a working class socialist MP who became a world tennis champion at a time when tennis was an elitist sport,” Mr Flynn said.

“He started a business with a Jewish businessman from Eastern Europe. It’s a shame we even have to answer questions like this. No, we don’t support the ideals or the group that you speak of. It is counter to our beliefs and the people we work with.”