John Dove and Molly White originally conceived the strawberry as a 'cut n sew kit to be sold in the Sunday Times as a special offer. They purchased the strawberries at Fortnum and Mason - 'the only store at tha time where you could buy fresh Strawberries in January' - and presented them to their friend and photographer John Claridge at his London Wall studio. They couldn't find a print company that could handle the quantity ordered by The Times, so proceeded to sell the T-shirts and jackets 'in all the most Avant-garde boutiques in Europe.' In 1972 Granny Takes A Trip began to sell the jackets in satin. According to Dove and White, Paul McCartney contacted them in 1974 for some Strawberry jackets for his first US Wings tour - he ordered six jackets. The 'Strawberry Fields Jacket' was with Paul throughout the American tour and remained with him for his appearance on Top of the Pops the same year.
A similar jacket was exhibited at the 1974 Fabric of Pop exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum.