PPQ vs. Ben | This is England

One of the most touching moments of the superb film “This is England” is when budding skinhead Shaun receives a Ben Sherman shirt. Throughout the course of the story there is not much to laugh about—but the confrontation of Shaun’s ethnically mixed clique with the agenda of the National Front has nothing whatsoever to do with Ben Sherman. Even if the design plays with the colours of the Union Jack and therefore gave so many Nationalists false signals, it is meanwhile a well-known fact that the brand itself does not sympathize with such a mindset.  

The origins of the label are working class dress codes and the Mods of Carnaby Street, where Ben Sherman himself once pulled his fair share of all-nighters. And this is exactly where the British avant-gardists of PPQ are beginning: with plenty of respect for the original designs they have turned the clock back and filtered out the subversive elements of the individual style époques, without walking into the retro trap: the current decade for example comes under the prefix of Indie pop, but manages without ski jackets. Instead: a romantic gothic dress with precisely fitted frills and otherwise very little hoopla. Paying tribute to the 1990s (that are quite unfairly misjudged as a style disaster) PPQ prove horizontal stripes and Brit Pop to be absolutely inseparable. The pièce de resistance of the collection, with a waist-high woolen skirt (with pockets!) and a short-sleeved blouse, is resurrecting Ska. Representing the rocking 1970s is a silky paisley dress and the 60s return in a Mod look with black-white color blocking. This is more than all very well and good, but if you really want to grasp just what a button down shirt can signify, you should definitely watch the abovementioned film.

www.ppqclothing.com

Text > Sharon Fernando

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