The Brit-ish Invasion: Two Nations United by a Common Love of Clothing.
ByNeil Summers
The BRIT-ish Invasion: Two Nations United by a Common Love of Clothing.
When it comes to timeless style in the good old US of A, the lasting imprint of the American’s British forbears can still be seen all over the place, from Plymouth, Massachusetts down to Birmingham, Alabama. But when it comes to the land of liberty’s influence here on this side of the pond, where do you start? Continuing on our theme of all things Brit-ish we’ve decided to take a specific focus on some of the timeless American brands we stock at British Attire by taking a look at how they’ve earned their place in the British style pantheon.
Red Wing
Red Wing Classic Moc Toe 6" Boot Oil-Slick Leather - Briar - Style 8138Starting life in the eponymously named Minnesotan city in 1905, pretty much from day one Red Wing boots have had a reputation for toughness and durability with workers in the local farming and mining communities being the first to discover this high quality footwear brand. Continuing to grow steadily throughout the twentieth century Red Wing expanded their lines and their customer base providing their sturdy wares to American soldiers in WW1 as well as oil field workers. During the 1950s they added hunting alongside workwear to their areas of expertise with the introduction of their ‘Irish Setter’ range and it's familiar moc toe design which debuted at eight inches tall with the addition of the now iconic six inch version later in 1954.This decade also saw the introduction of more urban work friendly silhouettes such as the Chukka and ‘Postman’ Oxford shoes. Happily providing the American workforce with their full-grain leather, Traction Tred rubber outsoles, triple-stitched (replaceable) Goodyear sole boots it was the tastemakers of 1980s London responsible for elevating Red Wing up to icon status. Originating on a market stall in Camden market before later becoming a bricks and mortar shop (as well as a clothing label) the Duffer of St George were obsessed with vintage Americana. Bored with modern Britain they set their sights on the USA as the place to plunder for sartorial gold and heard off for a stateside shopping trip. Returning armed with vintage gems from the likes of Woolrich, Pendleton, Nike, Levis, Carhartt and Red Wing the Duffer lads had struck gold. Igniting a British obsession with quality American workwear that has remained with us ever since, the Japanese discovered Red Wing through visiting Duffer (and later the shop John Simons) in London who re-appropriated these sturdy boots as the ultimate accompaniment to Japanese denim. This eventually led to Red Wing realising that their boots were incredibly cool as well as long lasting and so in 2008 opened up their heritage line. Suffice to say that if it wasn’t for a group of super cool Camden club kids then Timothy Challamee and Junya Watanabe wouldn’t be wearing Red Wings in 2025.
Filson
Filson Logger Mesh Cap - Otter GreenA huge legacy that started off during the Gold Rush era of the 1890s, Seattle brand Filson is another timeless American company that edges its way into our Brit-ish venn diagram. Famed for their lifetime guarantees, iconic jackets and beautifully made bags the key to their success owes a lot to the town of Halifax. That’s not Halifax in Nova Scotia by the way, it’s the OG Yorkshire as in puddings, terriers and sugar forks. Known for its durability and waterproof qualities Filson’s legendary waxed duck canvas fabric material comes from the equally legendary British Millerain located in God’s own county (Yorkshire).Nicknamed ‘Tin Cloth’ by the Pacific Northwest loggers who drew a parallel to the process of soldering copper wires to the tightly woven Filson jackets they relied on to keep warm and dry in. Whilst there are also parallels to be made between the brand with those British bastions of outerwear Barbour with Filson clearly taking a leaf out of Barbours book in terms of making utilitarian wax jackets that appealed in equal amounts to lumberjacks and Ivy Leaguers. Whilst in later years we can also thank the folks on the other side of the Pennines at the menswear institution Oi Polloi for turning Filson into a brand that looks like it was tailor made to be worn on the rainy streets and football terraces of Manchester.
Ariat
Ariat Women's Billie Jean Western Shirt - SandstoneWhen it comes to American brand Ariat and their cool cowboy boots then you may question the validity of any claims that these realdeal, good old Country and Western classics are in any way Brit-ish. But hold that thought though and consider this, prior to British rock and rollers popping on a pair of Cowboy boots these leathery legends were strictly to be seen at the rodeo or the Grand Ole Opry. Thanks to the various swathes of British invasions over the years from Graham Nash in the swinging sixties, Bobby Gillespire in the nineties through to Alex Turner in the noughties, British musicians are the ones responsible for making the cowboy boot synonymous with loud guitars and late night shenanigans. Now a high fashion accessory the resurgence of ‘Boho Chic’ in the late nineties onwards also owes a huge debt of gratitude to the likes of Kate Moss, Alexa Chung and Sienna Miller all of whom were seen rocking cowboy boots everywhere from the Groucho to Glasto.
Penfield
Penfield Men's Block Landscape Graphic T-Shirt - VanillaConcluding our case to illustrate that even the most American heritage brands have gained global kudos thanks to being adopted by a plethora of different British style tribes. We end with a rugged outerwear brand that started life in 1975 situated in the somewhat appropriately titled region of New England. A place where the rugged terrain and dramatic weather inspired Penfield to create garments designed to provide warmth and protection in which to enjoy and explore these challenging environments. Despite this focus on functionality Penfield’s clean outdoor aesthetic would soon wind its way over to the UK, a place not without its own weather based challenges.By the nineties the hip hop explosion in Britain had created a desire to emulate the fly wardrobes of super star rappers with authentic American puffer jackets and parkas. Around this time Manchester was a place that had earned a reputation for unselfconsciously merging various elements of dance music with indie music, the Manc movers and shakers often dressed like B Boys whilst playing in guitar bands. The obvious example being Oasis, who style their big jackets and braggadocio on East Coast rappers like Wu Tang and Biggie Smalls despite their music sounding like the love child of Johns Lennon & Lydon. In 1996 whilst at their absolute zenith Oasis decided to play a homecoming gig at the then home of their heroes Man City at Maine Road. Given that it was an outdoor gig, in Manchester, in April rain was inevitable and so Noel chose a Penfield Pac Jac in which to perform to 80,000 people. A two night event, he even wore different colour versions of the iconic jacket on each night so when looking back fans could tell at a glance which night it was. This was also the gig where upon hearing that Salford gangsters had threatened to kidnap his brother Liam in order to hold him to ransom, Noel replied: “Let them have him, within an hour they’ll have had enough of him and drop him back off here”. Fortunately the kidnap didn’t happen and the gigs went down in history and Penfield became an undeniably Brit-ish icon of timeless style.
Though each four brands are undeniably rooted in American heritage and culture, it's their accidental adoption by British subcultures that has also afforded them their Brit-ish status. Made for functionality but beloved for their authenticity, America has always provided rich pickings for the UK’s fashion magpies. Echoing our definition of what makes timeless style and also reaffirming the British Attire sentiment that a brand doesn’t have to be British to be Brit-ish.