The Proud Boys uniform is a black Fred Perry polo shirt with yellow twin-tipped piping on the collar and sleeves, worn with long pants or jeans and closed-toe shoes or boots, in the group’s official black-and-yellow colors. The dress code is written into the organization’s bylaws for full members, and the polo in particular became so closely identified with the far-right group that Fred Perry pulled it from North America and a federal court later handed the group’s trademark to a Black church in Washington, D.C.
The Fred Perry Polo at the Center
The signature garment is the Fred Perry Black/Yellow/Yellow twin-tipped polo: black, with yellow piping on the collar and sleeves and a yellow laurel wreath logo on the left chest. Founder Gavin McInnes, a former Vice Media co-founder described by Forbes as a “fashion-literate former magazine editor,” designated the shirt as the group’s “regulation uniform” in its early years.1Forbes. Political Fashion Explainer: The History of the Iconic Fred Perry Polo and Why the Proud Boys Adopted It
The choice was deliberate. McInnes had long been drawn to subcultural aesthetics, and the Fred Perry polo carried decades of working-class and countercultural history, worn by British Mods, skinheads, and rude boys dating back to the 1950s and 1960s.2Vanity Fair. The Secret History of Gavin McInnes Forbes described the black-and-yellow combination as conveying a “faux-epaulet rank” and an aesthetic of “cleanliness” and “victorious independence.”1Forbes. Political Fashion Explainer: The History of the Iconic Fred Perry Polo and Why the Proud Boys Adopted It The shirt itself was first introduced in 1952 as a plain white polo bearing the brand’s laurel wreath; the twin-tipped collar and sleeve detail came later and became a canvas for subcultural self-expression across generations of British youth.3Fred Perry. Origin Stories: Polo Shirt
The Full Dress Code in the Bylaws
The Proud Boys’ internal rules spell out more than the polo. According to the organization’s constitution and bylaws, revised November 24, 2018, and obtained by the January 6th Committee, full “Brothers” (members who have completed the initiation process) are required to wear a black polo-style shirt with two lines of yellow piping on the collar and arms, along with long pants or jeans and closed-toe shoes or boots.4GovInfo. Proud Boys International L.L.C. Constitution and Bylaws
Probationary members are expected to dress “casually” but avoid a specific short list of banned items: flip-flops, fedoras, and cargo shorts are prohibited at any meeting or function. The official fraternity colors are black and yellow, and only Brothers in good standing are allowed to purchase and wear the organization’s name, insignia, and colors.4GovInfo. Proud Boys International L.L.C. Constitution and Bylaws The third of four initiation degrees requires a tattoo reading “Proud Boy” or “Proud Boys,” intended as a permanent mark of lifelong commitment; the tattoo is reportedly far more popular than the alternative option of a brand.5Business Insider. The Four Tiers of Membership in the Proud Boys Extremist Group
In practice, members at rallies and protests have often paired the polo with red MAGA hats,6CNN. Fashion and Politics in the Age of Trump7Business Insider. LGBTQ-Owned Brand Disgusted That Proud Boys Wore Their Kilts8USA Today. LGBTQ-Owned Verillas Disgusted Proud Boys Kilts
Colors, Logo, and the Laurel Wreath
The group’s own logo is a rooster standing on a weathervane pointing west, a reference to the mantra that “the West is the best.”9George Washington University Program on Extremism. Proud Boys Roosters are traditionally associated with masculinity and territorial aggression. Former chairman Enrique Tarrio was photographed holding a model cockerel before reporting to serve a jail sentence.10The Independent. Proud Boys Symbolism The group also co-opted Fred Perry’s laurel wreath for its own branding, blurring the line between the fashion brand and the organization.
Pinochet and “Helicopter Rides” Merchandise
Some Proud Boys members have worn shirts and displayed flags referencing Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet’s extrajudicial killings of political opponents, specifically the practice of dropping victims from helicopters into the ocean. Slogans like “Pinochet Did Nothing Wrong” and “Free Helicopter Rides” appeared on merchandise sold by figures within the group’s orbit, including an online store run by Joseph Biggs, one of the Proud Boys leaders later convicted in connection with January 6.11The Progressive. How the Free Helicopter Rides Meme Went Viral Such items began appearing at real-world events as early as 2017 and were sold through major platforms including Amazon until public backlash prompted their removal.12The Guardian. Amazon Pulls Chile Dictatorship Death Flights T-Shirts After Backlash Researchers describe the merchandise as serving two purposes at once: desensitizing observers to political violence by framing it as dark humor, and signaling ideological commitment to other members of the far right.
Fred Perry Pulled the Shirt From North America
In September 2019, Fred Perry quietly stopped selling the Black/Yellow/Yellow twin-tipped shirt in the United States. The company went public with the decision on September 28, 2020, announcing it had also extended the withdrawal to Canada.13The Guardian. Fred Perry Withdraws Polo Shirt Adopted by Far-Right Proud Boys In its official statement, Fred Perry said the shirt had taken on a “new and very different meaning in North America” and called the association “incredibly frustrating.” The company said it would not resume sales in the U.S. or Canada “until we’re satisfied that its association with the Proud Boys has ended” and that its lawyers were pursuing any “unlawful use” of the laurel wreath logo.14Fred Perry. Proud Boys Statement
Chairman John Flynn had already noted in 2017 that Fred Perry himself “was the son of a working class socialist MP” who “started a business with a Jewish businessman from Eastern Europe,” adding: “It’s a shame we even have to answer questions like this.”14Fred Perry. Proud Boys Statement Brand ambassador and author Irvine Welsh announced he would stop wearing the label because of the association.15CNN. When Extremists Wear Fashion Brands The North American withdrawal remains in effect per the company’s most recent available statement.
The Trademark Now Belongs to a Black Church
In February 2025, control of the Proud Boys’ name, symbols, and branding was transferred to Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. A judge awarded the trademark to the church as part of efforts to collect a $2.8 million judgment, now exceeding $3.1 million with interest, stemming from a lawsuit over Proud Boys members destroying Black Lives Matter signs at the church in December 2020. As of early 2025, the group had paid just $1,500 toward that judgment.16AP News. A Historic Black Church Took the Proud Boys to Court. Now It Controls Their Trademark
The church began selling its own “lookalike shirts” on its website with slogans like “Stay Proud, Stay Black,” with plans for additional apparel tied to Pride Month and Juneteenth, directing proceeds to a community justice fund.16AP News. A Historic Black Church Took the Proud Boys to Court. Now It Controls Their Trademark The ruling effectively strips the Proud Boys of the legal right to use their own branding on merchandise without the church’s authorization.17Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Statement on Metropolitan AME Church Being Granted the Proud Boy Trademark
Going Incognito on January 6
One of the most tactically significant moments in the history of the uniform was the decision to abandon it. In the days before the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, national leadership ordered members to shed their trademark colors. On December 29, 2020, then-chairman Tarrio posted that the group would “not be wearing our traditional Black and Yellow” and instructed members to dress in “all BLACK” to go “incognito.”18West Point Combating Terrorism Center. Pride and Prejudice: The Violent Evolution of the Proud Boys
Instead of their polos, members wore paramilitary gear: camouflaged combat uniforms, tactical vests with plates, helmets, eye protection, and radio equipment. They used strips of fluorescent orange tape affixed to their clothing and gear to identify one another in the crowd. According to a federal indictment, the orange tape was purchased by defendant Christopher Kuehne on January 5, the day before the attack. Prosecutors cited the coordinated dress and orange tape as evidence of conspiracy, arguing that the defendants planned their attire to blend into the crowd while remaining identifiable to each other.19Jan6Attack.com. United States v. Chrestman et al. Indictment Members reportedly celebrated the decision to forgo their colors afterward.18West Point Combating Terrorism Center. Pride and Prejudice: The Violent Evolution of the Proud Boys Whether the black-and-yellow uniform continues to function as a reliable identifier is an open question, particularly as the group now operates in a more decentralized and deliberately less visible form.