Ben Sherman

[clashcityrocker]

The blue Ben Sherman with red piping was probably the best shirt we ever had.
Why can't they bring them back?

[Brain Fury]

The blue Ben Sherman with red piping was probably the best shirt we ever had.
Why can't they bring them back?

What did you particularly like about it? What's wrong with the current ones.

[fishtank]

What did you particularly like about it?

It had a tailored feel to it, when it was ironed it looked ironed, it held its colour well, it didn't ride up your back when you bent over, it looked smart, the red piping was cool.

What's wrong with the current ones.

They are designed to fit most body shapes which in reality means they don't fit any properly, they never look ironed, they fade quickly, they ride up your back even when you're not bending over, they look shabby and unprofessional even when new, the sizes bear no resemblence to any other sizing chart i've ever seen, medium what? Sumo wrestler? Don't get me started on the neck sizes...

[Pinky 1]

..... and you could wear a tie with them !
I've had to abandon tie wearing with these blouses

[borders]

The blue Ben Sherman with red piping was probably the best shirt we ever had.
Why can't they bring them back?

What did you particularly like about it? What's wrong with the current ones.

because they are shite and meant for women - no disrespect

[Lounge Lizard]

What did you particularly like about it?

It had a tailored feel to it, when it was ironed it looked ironed, it held its colour well, it didn't ride up your back when you bent over, it looked smart, the red piping was cool.

What's wrong with the current ones.

They are designed to fit most body shapes which in reality means they don't fit any properly, they never look ironed, they fade quickly, they ride up your back even when you're not bending over, they look shabby and unprofessional even when new, the sizes bear no resemblence to any other sizing chart i've ever seen, medium what? Sumo wrestler? Don't get me started on the neck sizes...

Worn under a high-vis nobody will have any idea whether it's ironed or not.
I would no more iron work shirts than I would prepare Door To Doors at home. Life's too short.

[Brain Fury]

Interesting. I don't know anything about the current shirt as it's been some years since I had any involvement with uniform and in any case I am now retired. So I don't know how the fabric or design has changed. I believe that the separate range of blouses were discontinued a few years ago. Perhaps that has (God forbid) resulted in a more unisex garment?

I have to say that even when I was involved, ties were not at all popular. Of course, like the "shiny peaked cap" before it, there were a few "old stagers" that wanted to carry on wearing one but demand was so low that it was asking to be made obsolete.

Ben Sherman was a fairly long term supplier to Royal Mail in the days when the uniform was designed and supplied from Swindon Warehouse. The fabric was sourced in the Far East and shipped to N.Ireland. Ben Sherman had a couple of factories there although this reduced to one in Londonderry which only made uniform shirts for RM and the military. All their fashion ranges were made "offshore". We also used other manufacturers in N.Ireland so it wasn't specifically a "Ben Sherman" shirt or blouse.

Initially we had the standard "military uniform" type shirt in the range; 70% polyester and 30% cotton and plain collar. The polyester is hardwearing and easy to iron. The cotton is more comfortable and absorbs sweat but is less hardwearing and more prone to creasing. After experimenting with various mixes, eventually we moved to a cotton rich fabric with a button down collar which is I think the shirt you are talking about and of a typical Ben Sherman design.

The gradual tightening of Public Sector Procurement Rules and the price competitiveness of the Far East and other locations made it increasingly difficult for UK based manufacturers to compete and we had little choice but to follow the lead of the retail industry in sourcing clothing from abroad; a development which pretty had much decimated the UK clothing industry anyway.

Rightly or wrongly, RM was one of the few organisations that designed, sourced and supplied the individual components of the uniform itself. Most simply used a "managing agent" company (many of which had developed out of the UK manufacturing industry) who designed, sourced and supplied the uniform on behalf of the organisation. Eventually it was decided that RM would go down the same route and responsibility for uniform was removed from Swindon Warehouse and awarded to the current supplier, Dimensions.

Can't believe I am finally qualified to write in the "Good Old Days" section. I hope somebody finds this interesting.