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Monday, October 6, 2008

Ben Sherman Makes Noise With Music and Youth

By Cynthia Acerra

Ben Sherman was an independent young man who grew tire of his life and changed his name from Alfred Benjamin Sugarman. With the name change also came the creation of his company, Ben Sherman. He set up shop in Brighton, England in 1963, and created what is now known as the Oxford button down shirt. Within six years, Ben Sherman was moved to Northern Ireland and expanded to due to the increased sales of the Ben Sherman button down shirt. It is this Ben Sherman shirt that began alternative to the fashion of the day and the innovations of the future.

The Mod fad of the 1960's quickly took to the Ben Sherman shirt. It was new and innovative, and gave them the look that they were trying to achieve, smart, good-looking and a bit tough and cool. This was not the only group that found what they needed in the Ben Sherman shirt. The skinheads and the new rock-n-roll age found the look of the shirt to be exactly what was needed for their rebellious and trendy looks. The Ben Sherman shirt was the working man's shirt, but with a flare of upper crust.

The 1970's proved to be another time of expansion for Ben Sherman clothing. The lines were not just shirts, but included all parts of causal men's wear and were one of the largest casual men's wear manufacturers of the day. The Ben Sherman clothing and its association with rebellion was not lost in this decade as the British Punk scene grabbed at the Ben Sherman clothing instilling the iconic look in music for good. With the expansion to boy's and men's casual wear, the journey was far from over for the Ben Sherman line.

When punk died and Ska took over in the 1980's Ben Sherman became the clothing of the new rebels and the new bands of the time. Ben Sherman continued to evolve and integrated the looks of the 80's with the Mod fashions that started it all. The one thing that set the Ben Sherman Company apart was that they never lost sight of the roots that had started it all, and continued to offer the classic Ben Sherman button down shirt.

In washes the 1990's and indie bands are flooding the market, some even making it to the big time, but all sporting the classic Ben Sherman shirt and clothing. The one thing that all of the rock music generation agrees on is that Ben Sherman is perfect for their look.

While Ben Sherman has incorporated a woman's line, fragrances, sunglasses, and much more, the Ben Sherman Company has stayed true to what made them a household name. The Ben Sherman Company loves the rebel and loves the music. Ben Sherman will continue to grow and evolve, but will always remain loyal to the classic Ben Sherman button down shirt.

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