RIO SIGNS FOR BEN SHERMAN

Last updated : 25 February 2003 By editor
From the Sun.
Rio’s team-mate David Beckham may be football’s fashion king but Rio is hoping to steal his crown.

His first move has been signing the extraordinary three-year deal with Ben Sherman, which gives him a personal stake in the company — and the potential to earn extra millions on top of his £3million sign-on fee.
 
Rio will pocket up to three per cent of company profits. The shirt makers — already the best-selling British brand in America — launch a new international collection fronted by Rio next month. Shirts cost from £40 to £120.

Rio signed up with Ben Sherman because “it’s the kind of gear my mates can afford.”

He says: “I remember what it’s like to want the shirt off your hero’s back. The first jacket I bought came off the back of a lorry in the market at Peckham. I was 14 and had saved for months. It was a fake Ralph Lauren and I wore it until it fell to bits.”