The story of &Collar is multi-faceted and revolutionary at the same time.
Growing up in Hong Kong, Ben Perkins lived in humidity. He regularly wore a white dress shirt for school functions, orchestra performances, and church activities. When he wasn’t wearing a dress shirt, he was wearing athletic clothing. On one particularly muggy and miserable day while wearing a white shirt he thought, “Why can’t I make a dress shirt out of athletic material?” And that is how the idea of &Collar was born. Except in 2008 and as a 13-year-old, the brand was Wicka-Sweat.
A few years later after returning home to the US after living in the Philippines for two hot years, Ben decided it was time to make it happen. With that said, Wicka-Sweat needed rebranding. He reached out to the best branding team he knew: his sister and her advertising friends: Lizzi Perkins, Timmy Bates, David Shum, and Jordan Larsen.
After breaking bread, the company &Collar was officially formed in August of 2017. From the first meeting in a living room to running the company out of several different garages, they have always kept the goal of producing affordable apparel that will not only keep you comfortable but won’t break the bank.
Not content with creating the world’s best dress shirt, &Collar wanted to create the best dress shirt for the world. That is why every &Collar shirt is made with recycled plastic, which removes this harmful substance from our oceans and waterways.
In 2023, this premise was transferred to the golf industry and the creation of their Atlas Polo Collection, that somehow only retail for $38 on their website at www.andcollar.com. The polos are available in slim and athletic fit are available in five colorways. When I tried on their polo for the first time, my immediate reaction was “how can something so soft and luxurious be made of recycled plastic and cost under $40?
“Everyone makes a polo, but very few make a GREAT polo,” stated Ben Perkins, Founder of &Collar. “That’s where we came in. This is the softest, most comfortable, highest performing polo we could muster. Versatile enough to wear to work, but with high enough performance to wear on the golf course when it’s 95 with soupy humidity. We invite all golfers to Shop &Collar and look good on the green with our modern approach to polos,” exclaimed Perkins.
But don’t just take the Founder’s word for it, how about this testimonial from Will on their website. “This is one of the most comfortable polos I have ever worn. The inside has almost a fleece like texture, but it doesn’t make you overheat. It’s still very breathable and makes me feel good all day long, no matter the circumstance. It runs a bit longer than other polos, which I truly appreciate. I got every color available in my size, and signed up for alerts to get notified when more get back in stock.”
For more information on &Collar and their collection of dress shirts and golf polos, visit www.andcollar.com
