The Pride & Clarke clothing and accessories archive is what we heavily reference when producing items for the label today, P&Cs significant place in the history of men’s style provides endless inspiration.
The rockers and greasers, even the mods who hung out at the P&C showrooms are well documented in films like Chelsea Bridge Boys and all the bikes and motorcycle clothing in the 1964 film The Leather Boys came from P&C- the clothing worn is a mixture of brands P&C sold not just the P&C label. But, P&C was a hive for motor and motorcycling enthusiasts way before the youth culture movements of the 50s, 60s & 70s moved in and P&C’s Red Panther Motorcycle is a magnificent example of motorcycling style pre The Wild One.
In the 1930s P&C produced its very own British made motorcycle with Phelon & Moore Ltd and called it the Red Panther in line with the shade of red the P&C (Stockwell, London) showrooms were famously painted and perhaps most memorable from the Michelangelo Antonioni film Blow Up.
The graphics used to promote the Red Panther in the 1930s is a particular inspiration for the label today and we were reminded recently of how good the panther head looks in print when neighbors John Croft & Mick Briggs from the East Midlands, both over 70 and keen motorcyclists sent us a selection of handbooks and pamphlets from a Panther purchased from Pride & Clarke in 1935. Mick rediscovered them during a recent clear out, here are a few pics:
P&C Sweatshirt with Red Panther artwork in black velvet flocking
Red Panther (screen printed) T-shirt