The Cornerstone Brands Of The Footballs Casuals
Football and fashion have long been team players. From 1960s-era trendsetters like George Best and Bobby Moore to Beckham’s Midas-like status in the style sphere today, it’s clear that menswear and the beautiful game are a tight-knit dream team.
And while Lanvin’s Lucas Ossendrijver clothes the Arsenal team now and legendary French midfielder Zinedine Zidane is the face of Mango Man’s current SS15 advertising campaign, the relationship between fashion and football stretches back to the 1970s, when the focus wasn’t on what players were wearing but the style of the supporters cheering them on in the terrace: the casuals.
Much loathed, as much by the general public as by some of the brands that became synonymous with them, a faction of the casuals was hell-bent on hooliganism, quickly giving the laddish label-loving subculture a bad name.
But we tend to forget that the casuals’ enthusiasm for certain brands of clothing was less about going undercover to cause havoc – as was the case for a violent minority – and more about plain and simple one-upmanship: who’s wearing the best brands, and who’s wearing them best? Clothes, for casuals, were a means to uncompromisingly pin your colours to the mast.
Here we take a look at some of the labels whose rise to prominence in the UK was closely linked with the subculture, their hero pieces, and why they’re still admired to this very day.
Fred Perry
Although closely connected with many aspects of British counter-culture, Fred Perry’s ties with football casuals are equally strong. In fact, the iconic twin tipping – which the brand’s polo shirts are now renowned for – was originally conceived by die-hard West Ham fans.
Keen to wear their team’s colours, the fans approached London retailer Lilywhites of London who in turn forwarded the request to Fred Perry. The result? Blue and white tipping was duly added.
