BuckleyGrayYeoman has completed the new headquarters building for Fred Perry, the iconic sportswear and street fashion brand founded by Wimbledon triple-champion Perry in 1952. The 17,500 sq ft HQ will provide impressive surroundings for clients and buyers by bringing together a suite of showrooms, meeting rooms, an archive, gallery and event space which reflects the brands' philosophy.
The showrooms have been designed to allow Fred Perry's new home to be as flexible as possible. Bespoke furniture allows the brand the opportunity to reinterpret the layout to suit the display of different collections, as well as to host one-off events.
"The success of this building is the culmination of more than 8 years of work with Fred Perry, which has enabled us to build a relationship and together create a coherent and nuanced approach to spatial design," said Paul White, Director of BuckleyGrayYeoman. "Mount Pleasant is Fred Perry's headquarters providing the perfect environment for clients, collaborators, customers and friends to come together in a space that communicates the Fred Perry brand at every turn. It's recognizably Fred Perry; a quietly confident, timeless one-off."
BuckleyGrayYeoman was appointed to refurbish the buildings at 29-39 Mount Pleasant by the Low Carbon Trust and Stanhope in 2013, completing designs for the refurbishment of the Victorian factory buildings and securing planning consent in 2014. Fred Perry came to the project in 2015 and BuckleyGrayYeoman worked with both clients to fit the scheme to Fred Perry's requirements.
The building houses five storeys of offices with an informal staff dining and reception space on the sixth, complete with a rooftop terrace looking out over Mount Pleasant toward St Pancras station.
An archive space displays Fred Perry's collection of statement pieces from the company's own production, as well as historic garments, accessories and footwear, collected to provide inspiration to the design team. Archive items will be displayed in the on-site gallery space, with a rolling program of exhibitions planned.
Fred Perry's spirit of originality is present throughout the building, expressed through a palette of unpainted timber joinery, exposed brick and steelwork, raw concrete and black-lacquered steel panels. BuckleyGrayYeoman's approach celebrates the long history of the existing building by exposing original features and modifications, leaving the layers of occupation visible and working them into the unique character of the space created for Fred Perry.
The reception area was designed to express the renowned Fred Perry style. Along the back wall of the space, a feature wall with a supersized laurel wreath logo formed from sections of rolled steel overlooks the meet-and-greet spot. A low-rise concrete desk runs the length of one wall and a restored vintage Wurlitzer jukebox, filled with vinyl 45s selected to reflect Fred Perry's musical heritage, has been connected to the sound system.
Fred Perry Mount Pleasant is the latest addition in a long-running collaboration between BuckleyGrayYeoman and Fred Perry, which began with the creation of an eye-catching sculptural front of house area at the clothing brand's former offices in Covent Garden.
BuckleyGrayYeoman has completed Fred Perry Stores across the UK, Europe and the Far East, including the 9 Henrietta Street Store in Covent Garden, London, and the Central Embassy store in Bangkok, Thailand. Each Fred Perry store has been used to progressively develop the retail brand within a consistent visual approach, through the use of bespoke finishes and artworks that add an authentic, individual character to each location.