Original 1970s advert, doodled by Hattie Stewart
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Brutus
Brutus History — p. 4 Geoff Deane — p. 12 Robert Elms — p. 16 Brutus Looks I to VIII — p. 20 2014 Collection — p. 26 Profiles — p. 34 Trimfit Illustration Project — p. 42 Brutus × Dr. Martens — p. 44 Contact — p. 46 Contents
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Brutus Since 1966 Hong Kong is not the city you would expect one of the great British fashion stories to start in, but that’s exactly the location that provided the inspiration for a man by the name of Keith Freedman to create the Brutus Trimfit shirt. This iconic wardrobe staple not only sold in the millions during its 60’s, 70’s and 80’s heyday, but also is to this day still fondly remembered and regarded with the highest of affections. Keith Freedman grew up in North London. Upon leaving school he went to work for the family wholesale business in the East End. Here they would sell bed sheets, pillow cases and pretty much anything they could get their hands on to Cash and Carry shops all over London. “One day we decided we would do a roll neck pullover, a working man’s sweater. My father suggested we do it in green and brown and red but I said, ‘why don’t we also try it in white?” As it turns out, this was perhaps the first time that Keith showed his ability to forecast a trend. His uncle took the new jumpers to the West End and they began getting big orders for the white version from people they
had never supplied before, like Vince of Carnaby Street and Jack Waller in Brewer Street. “I then designed a half page ad for Menswear magazine and we got even more orders. We thought there must be something in it.” Something in it there most definitely was and Keith along with his brother Alan had the foresightedness to think up a brand name. At the time in the mid 60’s Brut was by far the most popular men’s aftershave. ‘We thought that’s a good name let’s try and use something around that,’ Keith recalls. Thus the brothers hit upon the name ‘Brutus’. At 19yrs of age Keith decided the next step would be to visit Hong Kong to develop and extend a knitwear range. In those days travelling to Hong Kong was not an easy journey and Keith’s father expressed several reservations as to why his son shouldn’t go. Eventually he relented and using two hundred and eighty pounds of company money, Keith embarked on the beginnings of a journey that would change the course of his life, his brothers and many others.
Since 1966
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He managed to contact several factories in Hong Kong and began to place orders. ‘Now my next design was to take away the polo neck and make a three button polo shirt, also heavily knit,’ Keith explains. ‘Again, white was the colour and suddenly we had another big item on our hands’ Keith’s many trips were conducted as the war in Vietnam escalated. Hong Kong was the city where many American soldiers went during their leave to relax and enjoy themselves. One day on Hong Kong’s Nathan Road, Keith came across a shop
accessible. The result was a shirt that carried a top pocket, a generous button down collar, a button placed at the back of that collar, a box pleat running down the shirt’s back, a hook at that top of that pleat, and then two darts either side of the main pleat. Some of these details were standard American design, others were Keith’s invention. For example, the famous 2 buttons placed on the end of the shirt’s half sleeve was Keith’s idea as was the button to be found on the back collar. The hook at the top of the pleat on the
At the time in the mid 60’s Brut was by far the most popular men’s aftershave. ‘We thought that’s a good name let’s try and use something around that,’ Keith recalls. Thus the brothers hit upon the name ‘Brutus’. selling shirts for off duty American soldiers. ‘The shirts they were selling were half sleeve button down, shirts that you couldn’t get in the UK,’ Keith recalls. ‘I thought to myself maybe this would be a good line to sell in addition to the knitwear. I found a few factories and the next thing we were importing button down shirts.’ The first ones Keith brought in were very American, but with the help and advice of several UK retailers, he set about creating a shirt that would appeal to his home Market by being both stylish and
shirt’s back was standard American design but the darts either side of it were part of Keith’s design. Either way a British shirt had suddenly become very interesting. When the shirt was ready Keith ordered them to be made in twelve different colours and then waited nervously to see what the reaction of the UK market would be. He needn’t have worried. The Brutus Trimfit shirt flew out of the shops. Keith started visiting flea markets in European cities, looking for ideas to expand the shirt range. It was in Paris
Brutus History
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that he spotted a tartan shirt, which provided the template for the company’s famous tartan Trimfit. Who exactly were buying these shirts? Well by the late ‘60s and early ‘70s the young men’s fashion market had dramatically expanded. Post Second World War, this market did not exist. Young men dressed like their fathers and never expressed themselves through their clothes. But with the advent of pop music and fashion strongholds such as Carnaby Street, young men now began dressing up like never before. Youth cults now started to appear on London’s streets. The first were the Teddy Boys, followed by the Mods. Two significant youth cults then followed. Both the Skinhead and its offshoot the Suedehead were extremely popular working class fashions who both made Brutus shirts a staple of their look. Brutus’s main competition for this lucrative market was Ben Sherman, whose shirts had a similar design as that of the Brutus Trimfit. In 1970 at a menswear exhibition in Brighton the two giants met when their stands were placed next to each other. ‘Our stand was next to his stand,’ recalls Keith, ‘and we were taking tons of orders. At one point, Ben Sherman turned to me and said, ‘Ah you are doing us such a big favour taking the pressure off us’ and I thought to myself, well we can do that all day long. And we did take the pressure off them because soon we were outselling all of them; Ben Sherman, Jaytex, the lot. We would go to a trade exhibition and couldn’t write the orders quick enough.’ From their humble start in life when Keith’s father and uncle were the company founders and sole employees, Brutus now employed twenty
men in their warehouse, ten salesmen in locations throughout the UK, and maintained further offices in Taipei, Seoul and Hong Kong. Keith estimates that they were bringing in 40,000 dozen shirts a month just to meet basic demand. With the huge brand recognition occasioned by their shirts and knitwear, Brutus expanded into other areas. There were Brutus jeans, Brutus ski jackets, Brutus parkas, Brutus shoes, even a range of trousers called ‘Neva Press’, designed to compete with the highly popular Levi Sta-Prest trousers. ‘They were very similar to the Levi Sta-Prest,’ Keith says, ’and they were a huge success. They were made from polyester cotton and were permanently pressed so they always looked immaculate.’ It was the jeans, however, where the Brutus brand really took off “By 1972/73 we had switched our attention to jeans,” explains Keith. “And that’s where our main business was from then onwards. We started with a four patch-pocket brushed denim jean with 28in bottoms, which was unisex. They really took off and we sold millions of pairs — just in the UK.” They then had the idea to pre-wash the jeans, as there was no such thing back then. “The first lot we got from Hong Kong hadn’t dried properly and they went mouldy while being shipped. But they soon got into the swing of drying them properly. We also got samples made with embroidery on the back pockets and soon we had developed a popular jeans range.” Brutus Gold was a more premium denim offer from the brand. The jeans had a gold bar logo on the back pocket, and were a huge success during the late 70s and early
Since 1966
Original 1970’s Brutus Jeans Advert
1970’s Brutus Tradestands
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80s. “I always wanted to up the quality, so that’s why I thought up the name Gold,” says Keith. “It was a proper 14 ½ ounce Japanese denim in a variety of fits that were made in a very good factory.” Sting, just prior to hitting major success with the band The Police, also appeared in one of the TV ads for Brutus Gold. “He obviously hadn’t quite made it yet, because he later said he needed the money from the ad to pay his rent,” says Keith. The first Brutus TV advertisement came out in 1974, shot by the photographer David Bailey. The effect of TV advertising was huge for the brand. “In the mid-70s, we outsold Levi’s, Wrangler and Falmer,” says Keith, “As none of those jeans brands could compete with us on quantity in the UK.” Then the catchy ‘Jeans On’ advertising campaign was created by Saatchi & Saatchi in 1976. The jingle for Jeans On was written and performed by David Dundas. Such was its popularity that, three months later in July 1976, Dundas released it as a single and it became a one-hit wonder reaching number two in the UK singles chart. The fashion market in the 80s turned away from the classic jeans and shirts look, either towards sportswear (the Casuals) or a designer led look. As the clothing industry became tougher and tougher Keith decided to close the brand in 2000 and diversify.
“I was always interested in the brand from being a kid,” says Jonathan. “I was brought up with it. Bringing it back was just about waiting for the right time.” Jonathan began the process by researching the brand. He found most interest came from style purists, original Mods, Skinheads and Suedeheads, who were particularly fond of the Brutus button-down Trimfit shirt. So he set about remaking them to the exact specification taken from vintage Brutus shirts from the archive and made in the original factory in Hong Kong. Now the collection has grown into a much bigger shirt collection, still on the same block, in original checks and tartans, as well as introducing a print collection, but always maintaining the same style details — “shaped and darted for perfect waist fit”. Jonathan has breathed a new lease of life into the Trimfit shirt and by concentrating on the classic refined Suedehead style of the early 70’s the shirt looks as relevant, current and classic as ever. The return of the famous Brutus Gold Jeans is also on the horizon, with the first samples creating a new buzz in the industry. As is a classic suiting range aimed at the youth of today, cut sharp, fit for taking out girls and standing out on the dancefloor. Brutus is Back!
Keith’s son Jonathan Freedman re-launched the brand in 2009 and has seen it grow from strength to strength, gaining international press as Brutus is introduced to a whole new generation whilst also appealing to the vanguard for whom Brutus remains an enduring and beautiful memory.
Brutus History
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Ravi Grewal
“We sold Brutus Shirts in Feltham Market in the 70s. At that time my father used to produce and manufacture the Sta Prest Trousers, along with a version of the Crombie Jacket. I was only a nipper, but remember enough of the guys that used to swing by and purchase Brutus Shirts. My dad called them the “real men”. They wouldn’t even try anything on, it was a case of, “alright mate, got a large in the shirt and 34 waist regular leg” and that
was it, we would see them a week later for their next colour. Brutus is true to its heritage appeal, and I personally think it can only be worn in one way. I am a fan of the short sleeve only, best worn with slim fit denim preferable a Levis Vintage Orange tab, and a Baracuta Jacket. I know the Dr Martens scene is strong, however I have always loved the Bass Weejun’s myself to complement the shirts.” Ravi wears 2-Ladies 70s Print Trimfit Shirt.
Director at the Iconic Outfitters, Stuarts London
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Mario Warner
“I grew up with older brothers that were mods, skins, then casuals. I had Brutus shirts passed down to me as a boy. It was a big deal for me to go out and buy one. I remember buying the stewart check in Belfast and it was my pride and Joy, a real big deal. I was the milk boy and the paperboy to try and aspire to get those things. I used to buy my trousers from Petticoat Lane, tonics, Prince of Wales, dogtooth, Sta Prest. That was
my uniform when I was 14, I’d have a turn up, my DM’s and a Brutus.” Mario is pictured here with his son Daniel, who helps him out in the shop. Daniel wears Classic Tartan Trimfit Shirt.
Owner, Modfather Clothing, Camden Lock
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Geoff Deane
The advent of Punk opened up a lot of doors for a lot of people. Unlike Ska, which originated in Jamaica before becoming popular in Britain or the big budget stage shows of an enigmatic David Bowie. Punk was a genre that you could reach out and touch. “Suddenly you could get a bunch of blokes together with a little bit of gear, play a small club, make a racket and be quite good at it.” Says Geoff Deane, as a way of explaining how he became lead singer of The Leyton Buzzards and later Modern Romance. We had the pleasure of chatting to Geoff about growing up in the East End during one of the most exciting periods in British youth culture. Geoff grew up in a block of council flats in Hackney, East London. This is his manor — a place he has always felt comfortable, found compelling and all absorbing, a place where he still resides today. It was here and in similar working class corridors all over London that a fastidious devotion to clothing and a burning desire to get
mohair suits made would develop at an early age. In 1970 the skinhead look was beginning to morph into suedehead, both names that Geoff says were never used at the time but perhaps later donned by the press searching for a label to define them. “It wasn’t really two different things it was one thing that kept on rolling. From the day the sort of braces, jeans and cherry reds kicked in, it was evolving almost from day one, because as soon as the mob from down the street were dressing like that as well, you didn’t want to look like those muppets. So you ditched the white Sta-Prest and you got a sky blue pair and a coloured Harrington you know what I mean? It kept on changing.” “A big word in those days was ‘common’ and for clothes and for girls it weren’t a good thing. As soon as you went out down The Royal or something and you saw that horrible bronzy green mohair — the one that really glared in the sun and was the most obvious one — as soon as one in
Lead Singer, Journalist & Script Writer
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three people out at a club were wearing that, you really didn’t want to be wearing it. So you would be wearing a more sort of obscure one and that helped push it on it all the time.” ‘The Royal’ was a popular dance hall in Tottenham that played a mix of Ska, Tamla, and Rhythm and Blues. It was a sacred place and paradise to Geoff and his young gang, who from the age of 15 would make the Saturday night pilgrimage to impress girls, outdo boys and drink rum and black under the plastic palm trees that adorned the interior. Geoff would later affectionately capture this scene in the classic Leyton Buzzards
like a bomb going off in your heart and your head.” After enjoying a string of chart hits with Modern Romance in the early 80s, Geoff went on to become a successful scriptwriter and he is currently working on a project called ‘Ska Wars’, a screenplay in which he hopes to see the music and fashions of his childhood projected onto the silver screen. This extraordinary period in British youth culture was largely undocumented and with Geoff’s first hand wealth of knowledge and wonderful turn of phrase, Ska Wars has all the makings of a truly iconic film that really needs to
“A big word in those days was ‘common’ and for clothes and for girls it weren’t a good thing.” track and suedehead anthem, ‘Saturday Night Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees.’ “I don’t think I’ve ever since known a more stimulating and exciting period, because it was all new there was nothing before it. For me there was nothing. It was just fantastic. I really thought I would do that forever. That I would listen to that music — actually I do — but go to that place, hang out with those blokes and wear those clothes. I couldn’t see beyond that it was so all encompassing and magnificent. Of course 2 years later you’re fucking wearing make-up and going to David Bowie gigs, it’s completely different but at the time when it happened it was
be seen, to help the lucky ones that were there to remember and for those that weren’t to believe.
Geoff Deane
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George Dyer
“I remember coming out of the shop, I worked in Peckham at the time, I was a Soul boy sporting an Afro and there were two white guys walking down the road. Both of them had Crombies, never seen these Crombies before. They had brilliant white button-down shirts, burgundy
smooths, braces and tonic trousers not quite touching the shoe. Nice and clean and immaculate. You know that picture of the twins Ronnie & Reggie, well these boys were strutting down and they looked a million fucking dollars.�
South London Tailor and Original Soul Boy
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Robert Elms
Robert Elms is an award winning journalist, broadcaster and author. As a writer for The Face and NME in the 80s, he became known as the voice of a generation and today presents a long running daily show on BBC London. A true council estate boy done good, we went to meet Robert at his townhouse in Camden to chat about the fast paced changes in the fashions of his childhood. Robert was born in 1959 and grew up on The Watling Estate in North West London, a place where he says, “You were either good at fighting or you were good at dressing and if you were good at both then you were really tasty.” His eldest brother Barry was a mod who would go to jazz and soul, rhythm and blues nights at clubs like the Flamingo in Soho. This impossibly cool world seemed out of reach to a young Robert and although he admired the way that Barry and his modernist friends could hold themselves in both an understated manner that stood
out a mile, he was born too late and mod was on its way out by the time he became aware of it. In 1969 Robert was 10 and resigned to the thought that he had missed out on all the fun, when his other brother Reggie — 8 years his senior — walked into the room twinning a number 1 crop with a pair of Sta-Prest. The unmistakable bravado of Skinhead had arrived and for the first time in his life Robert was on the spot for the emergence of a new look, this was his chance to get in on the action. “I think the thing about skinhead is it had been the most rigid style of the lot. You could not kind of deviate from the chosen path. You had to have a red hanky everything was precise and prescribed. Braces, buttoned down shirt, buzzed in parting. If you had a long sleeved shirt you had the cuff turned over just twice.” At this point there was no Internet, no instant access to information and no
Journalist, Broadcaster & Author
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games consoles to get glued too. You had to negotiate and decipher the complex codes of dress for yourself. There were no shortcuts, just buzz cuts, pushbikes and clothes and before import records, clothes were the only thing that really made you stand out and therefore every ounce of earning went into that. Robert would go to Wembley market or Kilburn High Road to seek out cheaper versions of real Crombie coats or save up and ‘go up West’ like he did for the first part of his uniform — the button down shirt. “I remember the day everyone wore buttoned down collars, I mean there was no other collar you could wear. And
big round penny collars. No sooner had Robert sorted out the striking look he had first seen on his brother Reggie only a year prior that he too — with a heavy heart, found himself undoing the buttons on his collar to fit in with the new trend. “When I was a kid growing up in this era you changed. Like when skinhead became Suedehead you went with it. Then there’s a great look by about 72 that I think is the great un-chronicled look of them all. Which is if you look at early pictures of Rod Stewart and The Faces it’s very lairy, it’s big round lapels and feather cuts. So then you became that and then you became a soul boy and I had like plastic
“You were either good at fighting or you were good at dressing and if you were good at both then you were really tasty.” then I remember seeing some kids on my estate who’d undone the collars on their buttoned down shirts to try and make them look a bit longer, because they couldn’t afford yet to go and get the longer kind of spear point collar shirt which were coming in so they were doing their best.”
sandals and a big wedge hair cut and then you became a punk rocker. So you moved with the fashions of the times. These days there’s this idea that you’re a mod and you stay that forever, but that’s not very mod. The whole point of mod was that it was constantly moving on and it was constantly challenging.”
There was a fine line between skinhead and its smoother, less abrasive brother the suedehead, but by early 1970 things had definitely began to move on. Hair had grown out of a crop and a feather cut wasn’t far behind, brightly checked Rupert trousers replaced the clean cut Sta-Prest version and button down shirts became
You can listen to Robert’s show daily on BBC Radio London and read more about his lifelong fascination with clothes and the changing fashions of this remarkable period, in his book ‘The Way We Wore’.
Robert Elms
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Fred Harris
“We had the tonic trousers in the 60’s. 64 we used to get them made, 7 quid down The Cut. Fred Harrisons used to make them for 7 pound. I was only on about 4 quid then in the print. You paid 29 and 11 for a half decent shirt, 30 guineas for a suit, that was a lot of money, over a weeks wages. There was some good tailors about then, the cut had about 3 or 4, Walworth Road had the same down
the Old Kent Road, don’t see them now, George is about the only one left now, local.” “In the late 70’s the skinheads used to come in to buy the Dr. Martens. I had a shop at Rose Hill at the time, a lot of them used to come in there. Good as gold they were, frightening to look at but harmless.”
Traditional Shoe Dealer, South London’s finest
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Classic Without Cliché
Shot by Jamie Morgan Styled by Barry Kamen Hair by Kota Suizu Directed by LAW Model: Jevan at Select
Brutus Looks I — VIII
Look I
Look II
Look III
Look IV
Drop 4.3
Style 3405-098
Drop 1.1
Style 3401-515
Drop 1.2
Style 3401-513
Drop 1.3
Style 3401-518
Drop 1.4
Style 3401-505
Drop 2.1
Style 3401-510
Drop 2.2
Style 3405-506
Drop 2.3
Style 3401-520
Drop 2.4
Style 3401-501
Drop 3.1
Style 3401-508
SS14 Collection
Drop 3.2
Style 3401-512
Drop 3.3
Style 3401-519
Drop 3.4
Style 3401-504
Drop 4.1
Style 3401-511
Drop 4.2
Style 3401-516
Drop 5.1
Style 3401-514
Drop 5.2
Style 3401-517
Drop 5.3
Style 3401-509
Drop 5.4
Style 3401-502
SS14 Collection
Drop 4.4
Style 3405-098
Look V
Look VI
Look VII
Look VIII
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I — VIII
Look I — The immaculate Young Jevan wears his black, red and white Brutus Trimfit with a classic, 3 button, single breasted wool blazer from John Simons. Gold buttons, gold silk pocket chief and just a flash of the braces announce his intention. Crisp, duck egg blue Levi’s Sta-Prest and of course the burgundy Florsheim Imperial wing tip to nail this look firmly onto the must have list. Pure money in my pocket. Look II — A suit and a white roll neck never fails. A solid, Brutus Gold classic, Japanese denim jacket with gold stitching and Brutus Gold 505 cut jeans with a 1 inch turn up, saddled up with an off white John Smedley roll neck, off white socks and burgundy Weejuns. Add a subtle touch of gold bling and boom… a cool and deadly look for today. Look III — Simple, classic, without compromise. No bullshit, just a killer shirt. Add a pair of Brutus, washed, slim cut jeans with a crease — nice touch. Capped off with braces from our friends at Sherry’s, white socks and burgundy Weejuns. Easy skanking. Look IV — This classic red tarten Trimfit always sings when partnered with green.
And there is no finer green than a classic vintage MA1. Partnered with a pair of 60’s sta-prest from deep in John Simons basement. Rooted with white socks and burgundy. Florsheim Imperial wing tips. Forever Killer. Look V — Baracuta G9, navy. A bold black, red, yellow and white check trim fit. Off white light weight flat front strides. Burgundy Florsheim Imperial wing tips. Yes I. Stomping all the way to the Savoy. Look VI — A navy, yellow and white Trimfit, partnered with a navy and white, madras check, cotton, 3 button jacket by Thom Browne for Brookes Brothers. Dog tooth, flat front, light weight pants and Burgundy Florsheim Imperial wing tips. A red pocket chief flourish. Gotta risk it if you wanna take the biscuit. Look VII — Cool down the pace. Green and navy tarten Trimfit, navy sleeveless cardigan, unwashed Brutus jeans, weejuns, white socks and white braces. Look VIII — Green and blue check Trimfit; washed Brutus denim jacket; and classic Levis. off white, 519, Bedford cord jeans; white socks and weejuns. Nuff said boss.
Brutus Looks I — VIII
Mr Ducktail wears Brutus Pin-up Girl Shirt
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Mr. Ducktail
When he was eleven, Mr Ducktail began listening to early American rock and roll pioneers like Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran. He became fascinated by their sharply dressed style, rebellious attitude and big quiffs. Born in Paris, Mr Ducktail left home at 16 and moved to Hamburg to learn his trade as a barber. He moved to London 5 years ago where he set up his shop ‘Its Something Hells’ incorporating his style with his craft and specialising in 50’s Rockabilly style haircuts with exaggerated quiffs.
Its Something Hells, Soho, London
Steve wears Brutus Black / White Gingham Trimfit Shirt
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Steve Vinall
Steve has always been into drawing, ever since he could pick up a pencil. It wasn’t until he discovered the art of tattooing that he found a way of applying his imagery. He remembers a light going off when he saw Jake and Elwood’s tattooed knuckles on The Blues Brothers and began teaching himself the ancient art by practicing tattoos on his left leg. Steve is now a sought after artist and works at the prestigious Into You Tattoo parlor in Clerkenwell. He has been working at the prestigious Into You Tattoo parlor for 5 months.
Into You Tattoo, Clerkenwell, London
Charles wears Brutus Navy Blue / White, Gingham Trimfit Shirt
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Charles Wicks–Stevens
Charles grew up drawing and painting canvas’s in Brighton by the sea, before moving up to London three years ago. He got himself a job at Diamond Jacks, one of the longest running Tattoo Parlors in the West End and has never looked back. Now their apprentice artist Charles is busy developing his old school traditional style in the shop above the sleepless nights and neon lights of Soho.
Diamond Jacks, Soho, London
ReeRee wears Brutus Classic Tartan Trimfit
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ReeRee
ReeRee is a North London girl. She has had bright blue hair for the last 6 months and in a salon where colours change like the wind she says that’s quite long. She goes to Vegas once a year for the Rockabilly convention but describes her style as more ‘trashabilly’ a mix between Rockabilly references and her preference for modern music. She opened the doors to her salon Rockalily Cuts 5 years ago, noticing a trend for bold colours and sharp cuts. “We get a lot of the city boys coming in. It’s a smart haircut so you can’t get into trouble for it. Loads of men who aren’t necessarily alternative, rockabilly, or tattooed come in and have a sharp fade and a 1940’s side parting, it’s a classic look.”
Rockalily Cuts, Hoxton, London
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Trimfit Illustration Project
British fashion has always been about youth movements adopting classic looks to make them their own and Brutus has been at the forefront of that mentality from the outset. Our Trimfit shirt has been worn proudly since 1966 as part of a dedicated look, the following of specific sounds and an obsession with fit and detail. For the Trimfit Illustration Project we commissioned a select group of young British artists and illustrators to express what Brutus means to them by using the iconic Trimfit shirt as their canvas.
The result was an enthralling collection of hand-made pieces reflecting the bold individuality of each artist and the diversity existing in Britain today. The illustrations were intricately drawn directly onto the fabric bringing a fresh approach to the decades of heritage that are imbued in a button down shirt, while transforming a heritage piece of clothing into a modern day work of art. The one of a kind pieces were exhibited in Soho, London in January.
Projects
Aaron Gregory
Aaron Gregory
Hattie Stewart
Hattie Stewart
Joseph Long
Joseph Long
Suzi Kemp
Mudi
Philip Grisewood
Brutus Ă— Dr. Martens
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Brutus Ă— Dr. Martens
Since the 1960’s both Dr. Martens and Brutus have enjoyed a cult following from a variety of image obsessed youth movements, who share our fanatical approach to pin sharp dressing. This collaboration seemed like a natural progression, as our Trimfit shirts have been paired with Dr. Martens boots throughout generations.
same custom colour treatment to our Gingham Trimfit and included a matching handkerchief tucked into the top pocket to compliment the look.
For our first collaborative shirt we chose to re-work an original Tartan Trimfit utilising the Ox Blood leather and yellow stitching synonymous with the classic Dr. Martens boot. This colourway proved extremely popular and sold out in just 24 hours. For our second shirt — seen here on Jack and Iza, we applied the
A strictly limited edition Trimfit for our loyal legion of followers who wore these two iconic pieces the first time around and for a new generation who are embracing the button-down uniformed aesthetic once again. The shirts were sold in 28 flagship Dr. Martens stores around the globe where, for the first time customers were asking for a shirt instead of a boot! 2014 will see 5 more Brutus for Dr. Martens Trimfit shirts including one for the ladies.
Projects
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For all enquiries please contact Jonathan Freedman: Brutus c/o F & W Manufacturing 55 Blandford Street London W1U 7HW +44(0)20 7224 4031 info@brutus-trimfit.com www.brutus-trimfit.com 1966 — Onwards & Upwards
Art Direction: LAW / www.law-mag.com / Design: The Entente
Contact
Original 1970s advert, doodled by Hattie Stewart
BRUTUS 1966 — Onwards & Upwards