When Fred Perry gets a collaboration right, it transcends the typical brand team-up and becomes something closer to a cultural statement. The label’s partnership with Kris Van Assche—the Belgian designer who defined an era as artistic director of Dior Homme and later Berluti—is exactly that kind of moment.

Titled “Uniform of Youth,” this 13-piece capsule collection takes the most recognisable codes in British subcultural dressing and runs them through Van Assche’s meticulous, tailoring-obsessed filter. The result is a lineup that feels both rebellious and razor-sharp—sportswear and formalwear collapsing into each other as though they were never really separate to begin with.

The standout move here is the reworking of the iconic Fred Perry polo shirt. In one iteration, it arrives in bold red with a trio of floral badges—a signature Van Assche motif pulled from his personal archive. In another, the piqué polo is rebuilt as a proper dress shirt, complete with white buttons, black twin tipping, and a pre-tied adjustable tie. You can toggle between boardroom and bar without changing a thing.

Then there’s the tracksuit that became a suit. Literally. Rendered in black and white pinstripe with silver hardware, it has the drape of formalwear with the ease of something you’d throw on for a Saturday afternoon. Pair it with the matching track skirt and you’ve got a look that would have made the Mods proud—and possibly confused.

The knitwear is equally clever. A short-sleeved V-neck in subversive black, grey, and red Argyle creates a trompe l’oeil effect—the illusion of a Fred Perry shirt worn underneath when there isn’t one. A long-sleeved version with a floral grid pattern mimics the look of a zipped-up track jacket layered beneath. It’s visual sleight of hand, and it works.

Van Assche has spoken about the inspiration behind the collection with real affection. In an interview with AnOther Magazine, he described spending time in the Fred Perry archives and being moved by the story of Fred Perry himself—a working-class kid who used clothing as a tool to navigate the upper-class world of British tennis. “His relationship to clothing is particularly meaningful,” Van Assche said. “I wanted to elevate the uniform of youth; take the Fred Perry pieces and rebuild them to erase the frontier between sports and elevated.”

That tension between discipline and rebellion is exactly what makes this collection feel so aligned with the Fred Perry DNA and the Mod movement of the late 1950s, where young working- and lower-middle-class men used clothes to sharpen their identity and erase class boundaries.

Rounding out the collection is a “sweat-shirt” that blends a half-zip design with poplin sleeves—plus a simple black cap to finish the look. The campaign, shot by Alasdair McLellan in his signature dreamy style, seals the deal. Prices range from $100 to $607.

The Fred Perry x Kris Van Assche collection is available now online and in select global flagships in Tokyo, Shanghai, and London.