Item FASHION-FHP-F24-HT-003 - Austin Reed Men's Knit Sweater

Part of Austin Reed's golf line, the "Links" collection was a product of the 1990s transition to more practical and breathable golf wear. Versatility was a common theme in 90s sportswear, it became increasingly acceptable to wear casual clothing during all activities, including work, sports, or leisure time. The collection features bold, bright typical 90s colours such as vibrant dark green, royal purple, hot pink and cobalt blue. Austin Reed's "Links" collection also features chinos, a notable piece of the 1990s golf wear trends. The collection was released alongside a line of Austin Reed-branded golf balls. This knit sweater has an image of a golfer on the front, which is a staple of this collection as all the sweaters can be seen with golf balls, golfers, and golf-related imagery designs.
"Black, S. (2010). Ethical Fashion and Ecofashion. In J.B. Eicher & P.G. Tortora (Ed.). Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion: Global Perspectives (pp. 244–251). Oxford: Berg. Retrieved October 29, 2024, from http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/BEWDF/EDch10034

Craik, J. (2005). Fashioning Sports Clothing as Lifestyle Couture. In Uniforms Exposed: From Conformity to Transgression (pp. 161–174). Oxford: Berg. Retrieved October 29, 2024, from http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781847881212/UNIFEXP0013

Fashion Museum Bath, & Mitchell, W. (2024, October 27). Trying to Date a Piece of Clothing [Email to Eden Roth].
This email correspondence covered the conundrum of being unable to date the piece due to Austin Reed going out of business and therefore no one owning the brand's archive besides one company that bought shares. Unfortunately, that company did not respond to my inquiry so William Mitchell of the Fashion Museum of Bath's Heritage Services guessed the sweater to be released around the 80s or 90s. Mitchell wrote, ""Going off the style of jumpers from that collection that we could see online, we’d give a rough date of in the 1980s-1990s, based on the colours and patterns"".

McMillan, M. (2024, August 27). The Evolution of Men’s Fashion in Golf: From Traditional Attire to Modern Performance Wear. Harlestons. https://harlestons.com/blogs/news/the-evolution-of-mens-fashion-in-golf-from-traditional-attire-to-modern-performance-wear

Perry, T. (2023, February 6). What Colors Were Popular in the 90s? Into the 90s. https://www.intothe90s.com/90s-nostalgia/popular-colors-in-the-90s

Phelan, S. (2024, September 3). The Evolution Of Golf Fashion: Then And Now. The Golf Experts. https://thegolfexperts.com/the-evolution-of-golf-fashion-then-and-now/

Romo, D. (2024, August 13). A Swing Through Time: Iconic Golf Fashion Trends of the 1990s. GREY Journal. https://greyjournal.net/play/golf-fashion-in-1990s/

Turney, J. (2020). Fear and clothing in adidas: Branded sportswear and fashioning the ‘handy dandy’. In J. Turney (Ed.). Fashion Crimes: Dressing for Deviance (pp. 81–92). London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. Retrieved October 29, 2024, from http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781788315654.0013"

This sweater was a gift from my boyfriend, he bought it at a thrift store and only wore it a few times. Since he gave it to me I’ve found myself wearing it all the time. He used to say he felt like he spent his life waiting for me, and I can't help but think that the sweater was waiting for me too. This sweater is a reminder that you never have to search for perfect things, they find you. This sweater travelled from London, UK from person to person just to end up with me. Something about that makes it hard for me to repair the holes and remove the stains because I would be removing its journey. It was perfect the day it found me and I’ll never let it go. A statement that applies to more than just the sweater, but the man who gave it to me.