The Thread | ArticleBrit-ish Greats

Brit-ish Greats

In an attempt to clarify that British Attire is more of a lens of quality in which we look through when we’re sourcing our garments rather than being a geographical barrier, we’ve made a list of things we love that are Brit-ish. Why the hyphen you ask? Well, because just like the wonderful wares we sell, for something to be considered Brit-ish for us it doesn’t necessarily have to be British. One of the many things that’s made these sceptred isles so special is our ability to seek out the best of everything before putting our own uniquely Brit-ish spin on it. So to illustrate our point further here are some quintessentially British things that are actually a bit more Brit-ish.

Morris Dancing

What could be more British than standing in the middle of an overcast market town watching a retired geography teacher repeatedly hitting small children over the head with an inflated pig’s bladder? Well according to many historians our beloved Morris dancing actually originated in the Mediterranean. Having been brought over by Italian dancers during therenaissance period whilst the name ‘Morris’ comes from ‘Moorish’ in relation to the colourful bells and decorations worn by the Moors of North Africa. Whilst we’re on the subject of using inflatable bladders for entertainment purposes it may also surprise you to learn that bagpipes come from the Middle East. And no we’re not talking about the ‘livelier’ area of Glasgow city centre, we mean the actual Middle East.

Morris Dancers

Percy Pigs

OK after that earth shattering information you’re going to want something sweet to help cope with the shock, fancy a Percy Pig? Well as you enjoy this M&S classic, allow me to rip off Percy’s mask in a Scooby Doo style exposé to reveal the real culprit behind this fruity masterpiece of mastication - an equally delicious piglet named ‘Fred Ferkel’! Yes since day one (1992) our beloved Percy Pigs have been manufactured by a renowned German sweet brand called Katjes. Those sneaky squeaky swines!

Katjes - Fred Ferkel

Queuing

With an estimated 250,000 people standing in line (many for over 24 hours) to pay their respects to the dearly departed Queen Elizabeth back in 2022 the British ability to queue without complaint has been one of our specialities since the days of the Blitz. So it may surprise you to know that those unruly French republicans were actually the first to ‘join the queue’ as it were. The actual word itself comes from the French word for the tail of an animal ‘cue’ and it was during the food shortages of the French revolution that first saw folk forming an orderly line to buy a baguette.

Queuing at the Eiffel Tower

University Challenge

If all this is becoming a bit too much then how about a nice sit down with a cup of Chinese tea and an Italian biscuit? You could put your feet up and watch that bastion of all things British ‘University Challenge’ if you like? Now surely that's an institution with its origins firmly placed in the hallowed cloisters of British universities? Incorrect answer! In actual fact this classic quiz show was born and raised in the good old USA where it’s better known as ‘College Bowl’.

Eric Monkman on University Challenge

The Duffle Coat

When it comes to iconic British outerwear then a Duffle coat has to be a serious contender for the top spot doesn’t it? Immortalised by Field Marshal Montgomery in World War II then revolutionised by Mods in the decades to follow and even appropriated by an ursine interloper from Peru to help fit in (Paddington) the Duffle is as British as fish and chips. As long as those chips are drenched in an unnecessary amount of mayonnaise and accompanied by an eye-wateringly strong pint of beer that is. Because the timelessly stylish Duffle coat was first dreamt up in Belgium. Specifically the town of Duffelzandhoven in Antwerp, where a thick, black wool named Duffel, was first used to make the sturdy coats for the navy in the 17th-century.

PS Fish & Chips are actually Portuguese.

Oasis - Roll With It Artwork (All Wearing Duffle Coats)

Richard E Grant

Whether you think of him as the fine wine demanding thespian Withnail or the scene stealing dad in Saltburn, Richard E. Grant represents the peak plummy English aristocrat you’d see decked out head to toe in corduroys mooching around his estate. Which is perhaps testament to his incredible acting skills because your man Dicky E was actually born and raised in Eswatini, a country situated in the South of Africa formerly known as Swaziland. Interestingly the aforementioned corduroy material has an origin story that begins in Africa too, with an admittedly much cruder version of the luxuriously plush material first being woven back in ancient Egypt.

Richard E. Grant as Withnail

Dracula

“We are the Sherlock Holmes English Speaking Vernacular. Help save Fu Manchu, Moriarty

and Dracula” sang the unequivocally British band The Kinks in their totemic torch song ‘The Village Green Preservation Society’. A song that puts forward a very strong case for hanging on to all those things that make Britain truly great, from Desperate Dan to Strawberry Jam. But did you know that the aforementioned vampire was not actually dreamt up in this green and pleasant land but a distinctly more emerald coloured one? Though widely considered a British made monster cut from the exact same blood-curdling cloth as his contemporaries Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and the Invisible Man, Dracula was actually dreamt up by an Irishman. Yes author Bram Stoker was born in Dublin where rumour also has it that the ruby red and monochromatic mix of colours to be found swirling around a creamy pint of Guinness supplied the colour palette inspiration for Dracula’s outfit too.

Lucy in Bram Strokers Dracula

Freddo Frogs

Maybe it’s time for another sweet treat to take the edge off all these mind-blowing revelations, fancy a Freddo Frog? Surely these adorably anthropomorphic amphibians from Cadbury’s can only be a British invention? Wrong! Would you believe that they started life in Australia way back in 1930? Having been conjured up by an 18 year-old employee who named them after his workmate at MacRobertson's confectioners in Victoria. In fact it wasn’t until 1967 that the company was bought by Cadbury’s and Freddo finally got his British passport. When you think about the alarming amount of poisonous little frogs that exist in Australia (as well as the general lack of French restaurants) it’s hard to imagine exactly just what inspired the Aussies to create an absolutely delicious chocolate version isn’t it?

One of The Original Freddo Frog Adverts

Marmite

Staying with the theme of slightly bizarre yet undeniably British foodstuffs for a second, where do you stand on Marmite? Personally I’d describe it as a ‘seawater flavoured industrial axle grease’ though I am aware that approximately half of Great Britain regard owning a massive jar of Marmite as a basic human right. Though we might be divided on its appeal there’s no denying that it’s a British institution that feels like it's been around as long as the royal family. However, just like the monarchy, Marmite actually comes from Germany and is the work of scientist/sadist Justus Von Liebig who was a big noise in beer brewing. What’s more, its name comes from the French earthenware cooking pots in which Marmite was originally sold before they changed to those iconic glass pots in the 1920s.

Marmite

Football

Ok so we’re well aware that football really became the beautiful game as a result of us exporting it to the sunnier, sexier parts of Europe and Latin America but it all began in Britain right? Though an old school referee may agree, if we asked VAR it would appear that that ‘fact’ is a simulation. Whilst we may have brought pies, p*ss taking and posing in Stone Island jackets to the game it would appear that football first ‘kicked off’ in China about 2,500 years ago. Named Cuju (from "Cu" to kick and "ju" a leather ball filled with feathers) during the Warring States Period of 476-221 BC the game was used in military training such was the fierce nature of the sport. And there was us thinking that it was the old firm who first put the boot in.

Ancient Cuju

Dr Martens

“There's a lot of strife in this country at the moment, racial strife, class strife. There's one thing really that we have in common, one thing that unites us. And what is it??? It's not class or ideology. Colour creed or roots. The only thing that unites us. Is Doctor Martens boots” ‘sang’ Britain’s answer to Martin Luther King, Alexei Sayle, who was trying to bring the nation together back in 1982 via a bonafide British institution, a pair of Docs. Though these iconic work boots that formed the footwear of choice for a hundred different British music scenes originated of course in Munich and not as you may have suspected in Northampton. Invented eighty years ago by Dr. Klaus Maertens whilst convalescing from a broken foot (with a little help from the brilliantly named ‘Herbert Funk’) the iconic air-cushioned Docs made their debut in Deutschland before making their way over here in the early Sixties.

Youngsters in Dr Martens

The English language

Ok now that we’ve completely deconstructed the very fabric of British society it’s time for the final coup de grace as we reveal that the very words used to convey this message is a sum of myriad parts, none of which come from these shores. The evolution of the English language provides a perfect metaphor for everything that makes Britain great, in that it’s a real team effort constructed using lots of different elements from around the globe to make something very, very special. Without the infinite influx of Romans,Vikings and Normans or the highly cultured commonwealth our deeply lyrical language would not have ended up being the most widely learned second language on the planet. Which also explains why there are around half a million English words and Germany and France have less than half of that combined.

The Melting Pot That is the British Language

So there you have it, twelve shining examples of things that don’t have to be British to still be Brit-ish. Proof if needed that being British is more of an attitude or a state of mind and when it comes to attire it’s also an outfit that includes a Swedish jacket, a Scottish jumper, Italian jeans, an American bag, French boots and a pair of Japanese socks.