Sunday, November 30, 2008

Ben Sherman Makes Noise With Music and Youth

By Cynthia Acerra

In 1963, a man by the name of Alfred Benjamin Sugarman decided to make a change, and change he did. He changed his name to Ben Sherman, then took his innovative ideas for shirts and created the Ben Sherman shirt, which is commonly called the Oxford button down shirt. The Ben Sherman clothes company began in Brighton, England, but within six years had to move to North Ireland because of the incredible success of the Ben Sherman button down shirt. The Ben Sherman shirt has become an icon of the decades from the 1960's until now, evolving with the times while staying true to their roots.

The young men of England wanted to have a look far from their parents, and thus created the Mod fad of the 1960's. The Ben Sherman shirt was picked up by this trend setting group, but the Ben Sherman shirt was also associated with other subcultures including skinheads, and of course the music business. The suits with Ben Sherman shirts and torn jeans and boots with the Ben Sherman shirt started the association of Ben Sherman with rebellious youth, but it was the Beatles, the Who and the Rolling Stones that helped Ben Sherman break into the music business.

Ben Sherman expanded again in the 1970's to incorporate all forms of clothing. The Ben Sherman line began manufacturing casual men's wear and became one of the biggest manufacturers of casual men's where in the United Kingdom and the United States. It was during this decade that the punk generation grabbed hold of the Ben Sherman clothing line and remade it to be their own. The look continued into the music and through it all became a staple for young musicians and youth of the day. The expansion of Ben Sherman in the 1970's also included the creation of a boy's clothing line that was an immediate smash.

The Ben Sherman clothing was quickly adopted by the Ska bands of the day that were taking over the music genre. The Ben Sherman was continuously preferred by those on the edge of society and the rebels. The punk scene dwindled down but the Ben Sherman clothing line was still the working man's clothes. The roots of the Ben Sherman clothes remained intact as the evolutions of the fashion world continued.

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.

Ben Sherman is constantly changing, but evolving with the times, and including women's lines, fragrances, and many other items. The one thing that Ben Sherman refuses to change is the core of their company, the Ben Sherman button down shirt. The Ben Sherman shirt is an icon of yesteryear and the image of pure rebellion for the youth of the today and the future. - 16752

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