I’m not sure if it’s a compliment or slightly cringe for my style to be described as “blokecore”. A TikTok trend that revolves around the laddish Nineties evolution of Eighties football casuals, it just rolls on now that there’s an international tournament every summer. Think Oasis, Blur and, with hindsight, Mel C in their heyday and the uniform of mass-produced football jerseys, tracksuits and trainers that had, and still has, millions in a chokehold. Me too, a fashion editor who attends shows dressed in her prized football tops and Y-3 dress (the French former midfielder Zinédine Zidane is a muse of Yohji Yamamoto, one of Y-3’s creative directors). I don’t, however, cosplay as a football fan — because I actually am one.
I’ve proudly supported Chelsea FC for more than 20 years, and it has been a rollercoaster ride of men’s and women’s trophy highs, phenomenal players, managerial sackings, new ownership and more. Not so long ago, however, female football fans didn’t (and some still don’t) feel safe or confident enough to share, let alone wear, their football fandom so openly. Sporty Spice tended to be the uncool pick on my primary school playground, and I’m half-joking when I say that my dad threatened to buy mea Chelsea FC jersey for years before I felt comfortable wearing one after the Blues won the UEFA Champions League in 2012. I was never physically sporty, but I was so obsessed with football, fashion and magazines that I went to Central Saint Martins, got an NCTJ journalism qualification and then launched my own football and fashion platform Season Zine in 2016 (issue 11 is coming soon).
Having diligently tracked football references in fashion since about 2011, I’m pleased to see a new generation of designers both collaborating with sportswear brands and being heavily influenced by them. Martine Rose, Grace Wales Bonner, Renata Brenha, Conner Ives and KidSuper just for starters. Football clubs have also upped their game: see Arsenal’s current away kit designed by Labrum London. And Slam Jam’s cult collaboration with Umbro is always on my wish list. But for purists the ever-growing market for merch isn’t always welcome. No wonder the merits of Louis Vuitton’s £885 football trainers are being snarkily debated.
• The £60 trackies the front row love
All that being said, each to their own and styling is king. I enjoy mixing my naturally feminine tastes and fashion-forward instincts with technical fabrics and high-performance clothes. I wear my silver Chelsea FC “Unsung” signet ring by the emerging jewellery designer Becky Gordon every day, and I’m way less tribal about only wearing football gear from the teams I support (England, Jamaica and Nigeria too) as I get older. Taking it out of context is what I really relish: why be boring and one of many at a football match or in the pub when you can be one-of-one in the office or at a fashion show? Women’s football hitting the mainstream and the Lionesses winning the Women’s Euros in 2022 has certainly helped to shatter sexist stereotypes and validate my way of dressing.
Upcycled old kits are also having a moment: a standard football jersey is fine, but have you seen Hattie Crowther’s special football corsets? Or Remagine’s hybrid shoes with boot studs? Plenty of genius ideas are just waiting to be discovered. That’s what keeps me hooked. However, be warned, “blokettes”: real football fans may judge or banter with you for wearing the pieces I’ve picked out below — but I reckon it’s worth it.
Strip goals
I hate twinning outfits with strangers so I’m always on the lookout for unique football tops, like the KidSuper x Ronaldinho AW24 shirt. Colm Dillane fanboying the smiley Brazilian Goat resulted in a brilliantly designed football polo that’s relatively well priced (£175). Adding it to my collection, along with an upcycled Chelsea FC strip and a Martine Rose jersey, was thrilling. Styling tip: I usually tuck my football tops into midiskirts.
How do you tie yours?
From experience, football scarves are easy to wave at a game, cover your head in the rain and whip off in rival territory. The 2023 Chelsea x Nicholas Daley tartan scarf is my current fave, while the young Welsh designer Adam Jones adds sleeves to create a cropped football scarf jumper.
Putting the boot in
My Adidas x Wales Bonner Sambas in silver and leopard and these classic Puma King Indoor trainers are on constant rotation because I love an ultra-wide tongue (the detachable Puma one is genius). I still wear my Nike Shox MR4 x Martine Rose mules on nights out and can’t wait for the Nike Total 90s she has coming later this year.
Bags of style
Wherever I carry my Vetoverso Veto shoulder bag, be it London, New York or Kingston, Jamaica, it sparks conversations and compliments. It’s inspired by the football’s geometry and more, and I love it because the reference isn’t too obvious.
Get your coat
I don’t know if it’s me or the Instagram algorithm, but football jackets are trending. My preference? Long-sleeved track jackets zipped right up to the chin. This charming Kappa x Too Hot one signals my Jamaican heritage more unapologetically than my refined Adidas x Wales Bonner styles. Team with a dark denim skirt and Dr Martens boots.
Hair Lewis Pallett at Eighteen Management using Pattern Beauty. Make-up Brooke Simons at Eighteen Management using Charlotte Tilbury. Thanks to the Hoxton Hotel
