Street Guide 0�Version 0�

0� Camden �986 – Photograph by Normski 0�ContentsStreet Guide

Brand ChronologyBack in the DayConsumerProductWho We AreDistributionMarketingBrand Guidelines

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Original British StreetwearWelcome to our street guide to finding your way around Boxfresh and British street culture. In this book we’ll tell you everything you need to know about us: how we got started, everything we’re up to and why we’re the Original British Streetwear brand.

Founded by Roger Wade

Started sourcing classic sports, collegiate and workwear from the USA

Customised prints on vintage stock t-shirts and sweats, sold on stalls at London’s Greenwich and Camden markets with Ben Joseph, Olaf Parker and Sue Denny

Boxfresh brand name created, inspired by the early hip-hop terminology for a pair of trainers being “fresh out the box”

First batch of t-shirts sold to Bond in Soho

Rave scene and ecstasy democratised British youth and music culture

The birth of British streetwear. Boxfresh distributes in London to Duffer of St.George’s first D’Arblay Street store, American Classics and Kensington market. Also, Hip in Leeds and Oi Polloi in Manchester.

Olaf and Sue leave Boxfresh to set up Burro.

Roger and Ben continue the essence of DIY fashion, long before the notion of customisation became mainstream

Boxfresh shows at the Sehm trade show in Paris alongside John Richmond’s Destroy and Daniel Poole

�989

�990

�99�

Brand Chronology

Started selling to key Japanese streetwear accounts

Boxfresh starts wholesaling Carhartt inthe U.K

Workwear craze and demand erupts in Europe

Boxfresh signs deal as European distributor for Carhartt

First Boxfresh London flagship storeopens on Seven Dials in Covent Garden. The store becomes a destination for streetwear stocking Boxfresh, Carhartt, Penfield and Woolrich

Boxfresh store becomes the first ever U.K stockist of G-Star

Boxfresh licensed in the USA

Ben leaves Boxfresh to head up European distribution of Carhartt

Roger moved Boxfresh to the USA and set up the brand’s base in Laguna Beach alongside California’s first streetwear brands Stussy, Freshjive and Mossimo

�99�

�994

�995

04

FTC funds European launch

Boxfresh create “Urbanwear”

Menswear and womenswear collections re-launched in the U.K at the 40 degrees trade show in London

Boxfresh re-established its head offices and showrooms back in London

Infamous “we are you” campaign launched

Cream and the super clubs have massive popularity and Boxfresh urbanwear thrives as people buy the label in droves

Japan and Australia distribution agreements established with stores in Tokyo and Sydney

�997�998

�999 �00�

�00�

Exclusive body care range licence agreement signed

Opened new larger � floor flagship store in London’s Covent Garden

Boxfresh brand acquired by Pentland Group

New offices and showrooms open in Shoreditch, East London

Boxfresh footwear launched

Boxfresh LTD launched

Boxfresh vs Barbour collaboration

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�005

�006

05Brand Chronology

06

Back in The Day

07Back in The Day

Founded as it was on Greenwich Market, Boxfresh is a quintessentially British street brand that has always strived to stay true to its roots, despite plans for global expansion. The ‘Original British Streetwear’ aesthetic that the brand has made its own draws on sportswear and the recent history of British youth culture. When Roger Wade founded the brand back in �989, there was plenty of sartorial fun and games to be had if you were a paid-up member of a youth tribe – punks, mods, goths, skinheads, new romantics – they all had a uniform. But as for the rest of us, casualwear hadn’t evolved to anywhere near the level it’s at now. The burgeoning of British streetwear in the late 80s echoed the explosion of ready-to-wear fashion in the 60s – prior to the opening of shops like Biba and Granny Takes A Trip, British youth had had to make their own clothes if they wanted something quirky and fashionable looking – choice was incredibly limited.

Whereas now every high street has streetwear outlets and even the poshest department stores have numerous ‘street’ concessions, back in the early 90s there were just a handful of UK stores that Boxfresh could distribute to. Duffer of St.George’s first Soho shop on D’Arblay Street was one of them, yet just months before Duffer had merely been a stall at Camden market. Outlets such as London’s American Classics, Kensington Market, Hip in Leeds, Oi Polloi and Affleck’s Palace in Manchester were the signifiers of British streetwear.

‘Streetwear is essentially dressing from the trainers up; and it developed out of music – both hip hop and the rave scene,’ says founder Roger. Indeed, it was New

York’s early hip-hop scene that for the first time saw trainers being donned not as sportswear, but as fashion. It’s no coincidence that the name Boxfresh (as in brand new trainers/garms) was borrowed from NYC hip-hop lingo – 70s New York was the birthing pool of what we now call streetwear. Hip-hop pioneers such as Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaata ushered in not just a new sound but also a new mode of dress. Trainers, tracksuits, and singlets – it was the first time sports gear had been more about posing in than playing sports in.

But initially the look was about the re-appropriation of old-school labels such as Adidas and Kangol rather than buying up new ones – the Supremes and Zoo Yorks weren’t even in foetal position at that point. Hip-hop style filtered across the Atlantic from the early 80s onwards, but when the UK rave scene exploded in the mid / late 80s, a new youth uniform was required. Although the rave scene – or rather, ecstasy – democratised British youth, the sloppy looking clothing sold them short. The baggy trousers, tie-dyed T-shirts, day-glo trimmings and Wallabees associated with the genre just don’t have the slick sartorial hallmarks of say, mod or b-boy style. In anyone’s book, rave culture gets about nil points in the style history stakes. And what to wear if you weren’t a raver or a mod or a punk or a football casual…? Basically, not a lot.

It’s difficult to visualise a time when British streetwear brands were thin on the ground, but back in the early 90s, the streetwear market was a wilderness compared to the densely vegetated landmass it is now. However, the UK fashion market changed forever when brands such as

Duffer of St George, Mau Mau, Gio Goi and Boxfresh started setting up. They were in the vanguard of British streetwear and suddenly not just the ravers who’d been languishing in their dodgy day-glo, but crucially every facet of British youth had something to wear. Just like Stussy, Boxfresh came out of the street scene – and the brand maintains that heritage today. Indeed, in terms of streetwear, the American west coast had a head start on the Brits. In �980, almost ten years before Roger Wade set up Boxfresh, Shawn Stussy first started selling screen printed T-shirts alongside surfboards in Laguna Beach, California. The infamous scrawled signature in place, he dressed a network of musicians, skaters, DJs and artists, building a brand in the process. So just as Stussy pioneered streetwear in America, Boxfresh followed suit in Britain. Boxfresh has grown from market-stall T’s and sweatshirts to men’s, women’s, footwear and accessories collections designed not for posing in but for living in. It’s quality apparel that’s not ostentatious or self-conscious, you could get away with wearing it head-to-toe and probably still not look like you’d been Boxfreshed. ‘The brand,’ explains Roger, ‘has never been about elitism – it’s easy to act aloof and stick expensive price tags on things. It’s harder to be accessible, to rise above elitism and maintain our status as a British streetwear brand. Boxfresh represents good, functional, original hardwearing British streetwear, and you don’t have to be cool to wear it – hopefully it’s for everyone to enjoy.’ Boxfresh’s spin on ‘streetwear’ is distinct. In the collections, high-performance

The Story of British Streetwear By Alex Ashcroft

technical fabrics merge with natural yarns like cotton and wool; and stripes and splashes of colour punctuate a neutral foundation palette. All the basic T-shirt, sweat and utility trouser and jacket styles are expertly covered, but it’s the unexpected smarter tailoring, subtle branding and quirky detail that elevates the label from the ordinary. However, perhaps the main reason the label is a success is because it’s down-to-earth, despite high production values. ‘It’s not just about producing clothes,’ explains Roger. ‘We use real people to model for our campaigns, and I hope that endorses our objective of dressing the streets. We always try to keep our product affordable, and the ‘we are you’ slogan was created specifically to convey our utilitarian brand values.’ Indeed, the locations for Boxfresh’s look book photo shoots have, over the years featured various urban British landscapes and consistently feature models who are selected by casting from the streets. It’s a logical progression for Boxfresh to reflect what’s happening in UK street culture, and that manifests itself in a long-standing series of hook-ups and collaborations with some of the best emerging British talent from graffiti artists and record labels – the Scrawl Collective, Solo One and Ninja Tunes artists Mr Scruff, DJ Vadim and DJ Yoda among them. Boxfresh has sponsored various festivals, the UK Breakdancing Championships and dressed numerous bands and DJs including Massive Attack, The Streets, Roots Manuva, Dizzee Rascall, LTJ Bukem and Roni Size. In a climate where brands can easily sell out or fall off the dial, Boxfresh’s mission of staying true to its roots is deserving of its unique place in British streetwear history.

08

The Consumer

09Street Guide

We Know WhoYou Are

�0

/Ade/�6/Artist/DJ/London/“I’m always out and about every weekend digging out rare vinyl, trying to find something different that no one else has.”

The Consumer ��

/Claire/�0/Fashion Student/Manchester/“Being a student I’ve got a pretty hectic social life. I’m out every night of the week.”

Happy Shopper/Dunnie/�5/Music Engineer/Sunderland/“To be honest I don’t manage to get out as much as I used to but I still like to keep up with what’s going on in music.”

��

/Lilly/��/Stylist/London/“I like Electro just not the hard stuff. My boyfriend does but he’s a bit of a nutter.”

The Consumer ��

�4 �5

The Product

Street Guide

Our StyleWe believe streetwear is all about dressing from the trainers up. Our aim has always been to represent the constant originality or trends, ideas and attitudes coming out of British street culture.

The brand has always been heavily involved with and has a personal commitment to supporting new creative talent from within street influenced design, art and music scenes.

We’ve been kitting out clubbers, DJ’s, MC’s, bands and artists with our clothing since �989 to the present day.

�6 �7

Men’s Product

The Product

Women’s Product

�8 �9 The Product

Accessories You’re always going to need a bag to carry your tunes in and a watch to know what time it is. So we’ve come up with the complete package to cover every eventuality.

Footwear

�0

All in The Name

The term ‘Boxfresh’ was coined in the early 70’s by New York b-boys obsessed with keeping their trainers in mint condition. We’ve got quite a name to live up to, but since everyone at Boxfresh is a complete trainer freak we think we’ve got what it takes to deliver.

The Product ��

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Who We Are...

��Street Guide

We Are — 0� 06 0�

0� 05

07 04

�4

0� Original. 0� British. 0� Street.04 Creative. 05 Sociable. 06 Approachable. 07 Youthful.

We Are You

�5Who We Are

�6

Distribution

�7Street Guide

�8

Something for Everyone

Distribution �9

/Core Boxfresh Product/Streetwear accessible to all/Distributed through quality independents and high street multiples

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SomethingSpecial

Distribution ��

/Premium Boxfresh product/Quality streetwear/Developed to deliver limited edition product for premium distribution through select independents and department stores

Collaborations

�� Distribution

/Premium Boxfresh collaborations/Collaboration Criteria: – Established brand, company or product with iconic heritage – British – Streetwear connotation – Strong PR opportunities – Enable us to develop key customer relationships

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�4

Marketing

�5Street Guide

�6

Advertising

Marketing �7

Sales Support, POS& Look Books

Our Store

�8 Marketing �9

Guerrilla Marketing

Being a streetwear brand we’ve often used street art to get our message across.

Blak Twang moved the crowd but the Daily Mail journalists were a bit freaked out

dps 3/3/06 19:34 Page 1

Shystie added a touch of glamour

dps 3/3/06 19:26 Page 2

MARCH 2006. LondonBoxfresh threw a huge party for the premierof Kidulthood, the freshest British film of06, out in cinemas now. The biggest namesin the UK hip-hop and grime scene turnedout in force.Thanks to all involved.

Skinnyman brought half of Finsbury Park with him

dps 3/3/06 19:25 Page 1

Roots Manuva. What you didn't think he'd be there?

dps 3/3/06 19:34 Page 2

PR We’ve never been shy of throwing a good party and we’re nothing without the scene we come from, which is why we like to get involved with up and coming talent. It’s all just part of what we do.

40 Marketing 4�

This page:Kidulthood promotional poster

Opposite page:Kidulthood/Vice party:Clockwise: Skinny Man, Black Twang, Shystie, Roots Manuva

Mix CDs

4�

Web

4�Marketing

Boxfresh online refreshed and relaunched with online trading coming soon.

44 45Street Guide

BrandGuidelines

46

Guidelines

We have always branded our products in some way and our original logo is the most effective tool we have to do this.The visual identity of Boxfresh is boldand simple but effective. It projects our no-nonsense attitude across all our products and on all advertising whatever shape or form.

We firmly believe that our visual identity reflects our ‘homegrown’ values and, as we continue to move forward, it is ever more important that we ensure an overall visual consistency.

On the following pages there are a few guidelines showing how our logomust be used.

Brand Guidelines 47

Logo ComponentsTo achieve consistency, all elements must be reproduced from master copies provided. They must not be adjusted, redrawn or modified in any way.

The Boxfresh logo can be used in three different ways.

The Tears:To be used when it is obvious that it’s a Boxfresh product.

The Logo and Tears:To be used when the Tears are already featured elsewhere on the product or marketing material.

Linear Logo:For foreign market use only.

Logo Colour UsageColour plays an important role in reinforcing the no nonsense, functional ethics of Boxfresh.

The Boxfresh logos only ever appear in either solid black or solid white.

When placed over a photographic image, the logo should be placed as a solid black or solid white, whichever is the most visible as shown.

Logo Exclusion ZoneTo ensure maximum visibility the area around the logo must be kept clear. It must be sufficient to remove it from any other graphic elements or type.

The minimum exclusion zone to be used around the logo is one third of its width.

The shaded area indicates the exclusion zone.

The white box indicates the beginning of the exclusion zone.

Logo Sizes

48 Brand Guidelines

Corporate FontTo re-illustrate the stripped back functionality of the brand, Helvetica 85 Heavy is the primary Boxfresh typeface.

Wherever text is used, the leading should be the same size as the text, i.e. �5pt type should have �5pt leading. Equally as important is the tracking which should be -�5 in all cases (as shown).

A considered effort has been made to use 85 Heavy as the weight of face across all brand collateral. In certain cases where text is needed under 8pt should Helvetica 65 Medium be used (note the same leading and tracking rules apply).

The Boxfresh font is Helvetica 85 Heavy.Helvetica 85 Heavy�6pt - �6 tracking

The Boxfresh font is Helvetica 85 Heavy.Helvetica 85 Heavy�6pt - �6 tracking

The Boxfresh font is Helvetica 85 Heavy.Helvetica 85 Heavy�6pt - �6 tracking

Founded as it was on Greenwich Market, Boxfresh is a quintessentially British street brand, and has always strived to stay true to its roots, despite plans for global expansion. The ‘Original British Streetwear’ aesthetic that the brand has made its own draws on sportswear and the recent history of British youth culture. When Roger Wade founded the brand back in �990, there was plenty of sartorial fun and games to be had if you were a paid-up member of a youth tribe – punks, mods, goths, skinheads, new romantics – they all had a uniform. But as for the rest of us, casualwear hadn’t evolved to anywhere near the level it’s at now. The burgeoning of British streetwear in the late 80s echoed the explosion of ready-to-wear fashion in the 60s – prior to the opening of shops like Biba and Granny Takes A Trip, British youth had had to make their own clothes if they wanted something quirky and fashionable looking – choice was incredibly limited.

Founded as it was on Greenwich Market, Boxfresh is a quintessentially British street brand, and has always strived to stay true to its roots, despite plans for global expansion. The ‘Original British Streetwear’ aesthetic that the brand has made its own draws on sportswear and the recent history of British youth culture. When Roger Wade founded the brand back in 1990, there was plenty of sartorial fun and games to be had if you were a paid-up member of a youth tribe – punks, mods, goths, skinheads, new romantics – they all had a uniform. But as for the rest of us, casualwear hadn’t evolved to anywhere near the level it’s at now. The burgeoning of British streetwear in the late 80s echoed the explosion of ready-to-wear fashion in the 60s – prior to the opening of shops like Biba and Granny Takes A Trip, British youth had had to make their own clothes if they wanted something quirky and fashionable looking – choice was incredibly limited.

Helvetica 85 Heavy9pt - 9 tracking

Helvetica 65 Medium7pt - 7 tracking

49

ContactBoxfresh International Ltd. �7 Charlotte RoadLondon EC�A �PBUnited Kingdom

Enquiries0�0 7749 �900info@boxfresh.co.ukwww.boxfresh.com

Boxfresh® and ® are registered trademarks of and used under licence from Boxfresh Global Limited.

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