Burberry director poached by Ben Sherman for a make-over

Burberry director poached by Ben Sherman for a make-over Britain’s oldest men’s wear brand, Ben Sherman, has gone ahead and poached the Burberry merchandising chief Adrian Ward-Rees as part of a make-over for the almost 50 year old business.

We all know that Ben Sherman is one of the oldest men’s wear collections that started in Britain by Benjamin Sugarman. Having great stitching details and higher quality materials made it popular back in its early years.

Mr. Ward-Rees will be joining the firm as a commercial director. The brand that was known for its 1960s Mod associations and was loved by the Mod Revivalists, wants to do a “Burberry” or a “Mini” and do make-over of itself as a top global menswear brand.

Pan Philippou the Chief Executive, is hoping to turn the loss-making business back to profit and is taking it upmarket with new lines like the BenSherman Modern Classic, to be sold in Selfridges this autumn.

On Carnaby Street new shops will soon open and also in Islington on London, there would also be new stores opening in the US. Ben Sherman is currently owned by New York-listed Oxford industries. It has 400 or so stockists and 10 stores in the UK, plus profitable businesses in the US and Europe.

The brand BenSherman was founded in 1963 by a man named Arthur Benjamin Sugarman. He was born in Brighton but in 1946 he emigrated to the United States through Canada and renounced his nationality to American. He was then able to marry the daughter of a Californian clothes producer and later returned to Brighton, where he bought a shirt factory.

Ben Sherman is in common with a lot of British Brands and is now made abroad, mainly in the Far East. Their designs on occasions feature the Royal Air Force roundel otherwise known as the Mod target.

The company designs clothes mainly for men. Benjamin Sugarman died in the year 1987 and the company Ben Sherman has been owned by Oxford Industries since 2004.

The styles that this company gives out to the public is mainly appreciated by skinheads back in the ‘60s and the Mods but today, their various designs were appreciated by men everywhere. The contemporary style is classic and is always in vogue, making it one of the most successful menswear in Britain to date.

Hopefully the new re-invention and make-over will make the company carry even better designs.