The State of Collaborations Between Football and Streetwear Fashion
The link between fashion and football has existed for generations,
yet, it’s found itself at the forefront of style the past few years.
Kylian Mbappé debuted the NIKE x Virgil Abloh Mercurial Vapor 360 Shoes on Pitch
When Virgil Abloh’s Off-White teamed up with NIKE to produce a whole collection, the scene got the kickstart it needed to grab people’s attention.
The two industries have always gone hand in hand. The 80s brought the casual - adidas donning, Sergio Tacchini sporting mobs that redefined the terrace’s dress code before Liverpool made a mockery of that finely-tuned attire by rocking white Armani suits in the mid-90s. David Beckham pioneered the generation following that disaster, but as a one-man-band, he wasn’t able to bring a ‘style x soccer’ revolution. Yet, as his career came to an end, football re-entered the fashion world in impressively.
Bex (Paul Anderson) Sporting the Sergio Tacchini Orion Track Top in Nick Love’s film The Firm (2009).
The 80s Casual Classics lads in The Firm, with founder Neil Primett kitted out in the Sergio Tacchini Orion Tracksuit (The Firm, 2009).
Liverpool Player Before the Start of the 1996 FA Cup Final in White Armani Suits.
(Image Courtesy: Mirror UK)
David Beckham in full tracksuit, early 2000s.
Designer Virgil Abloh propelled Beckham’s vision into the 21st century by dropping a full football-themed collaboration with NIKE ahead of the FIFA 2018 World Cup held in Russia. The partnership that also called on the expertise of Kim Jones took Abloh’s world-renowned quotation marks into the design process of tracksuits, boots, and kits. NIKE then followed upon the designer’s success by releasing a unique Nigerian Kit that sold-out in record time. Football’s time in fashion’s limelight was now.
NIKE x Virgil Abloh “Football, Mon Amour” Collection
Commemorating the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, Abloh uses this collection, dubbed “Football, Mon Amour”, as a vehicle to blend memories of his youth.
Nike x Virgil Abloh Mercurial Vapor 360
NIKE Nigerian Football Kit
Image Courtesy: HYPEBEAST
Ronnie Fieg, Gosha Rubchinsky, and Martine Rose are all pushing the culture and the movement, too. The former extensively worked with adidas to take the US national team’s vision into an innovative and unique space. Meanwhile, the underground scene was also tapping into the promising football offers too.
KITH Flamingos x adidas Soccer Season 2 Collection
GOSHA Rubinskiy F/W 2018 Collection
Image Courtesy: Vogue
Image Courtesy: Vogue
Martin Rose Football Inspired Pieces
MARTINE ROSE Twisted Football Shirt in Red
MARTINE ROSE Cut Out Football Vest
Liam Hodges, of London, has been frequently spotted at fashion week and around with Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin, who is the heir to Beckham’s throne. Manchester brands Gramm. and The Hoodlab also have fused numerous training tops into their capsules.
The scene has been reinvigorated again. The 80s glory days are back in a new form. The latest season on the footballing calendar saw an evolution. Training kits find themselves with unique patterns, and their own modeling campaigns while NIKE’s Jordan brand continues to push new items linked to the PSG brand.
GRamm. UK
The Hoodlab
The Jordan Brand x Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
Fashion has; therefore, fused itself into the football sphere, and it has done it so successfully that non-league English teams are gaining lucrative sponsorship deals. The culture knows no bounds.
While Aitch is modeling for Manchester United’s third kit, EA SPORTS has been designing custom virtual jerseys for FIFA 19.
Pleasure being part of the new @ManUtd Away Kit Launch 🚀 @adidasfootball #Daretocreate #BigShell pic.twitter.com/n901GcwUOP
— Aitch 👀 (@OfficialAitch) July 12, 2019
EA SPORTS x adidas Limited Edition Jerseys in FIFA 19
Furthermore, Hugo Boss, Kim Jones, and Armani continue to work with teams across the world in behind the streetwear industry curtains, while Palace Skateboards and Off-White continue to remain in the spotlight, grabbing the headlines worldwide.
Football, that while attempting to join the culture, has been mainly separate from fashion now finds itself at its core.
This new wave of collaborations between Football and Streetwear world is here to stay.
We’re stoked!
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