A look back in time with some of the most iconic kits created at Fabric of footballs east-London exhibition.
Association Football shirts have become a cult classic in popular culture in recent times, indie, new wave and punk bands alike have been wearing them on stage and in photoshoots. It has become a fashion accessory in recent times and can been seen nationwide throughout high-streets, popular amongst both males and females alike. Oasis were arguably the first band to popularise the concept – with their love for all things sky blue in Man City.
But what about the comparison between the ability of contemporary football shirts to be stylish, worn in the likes of the Premier League today, compared with vintage shirts which are iconic, made 20/30 years ago.
Last April in Shoreditch an exhibition for classic football shirts was held in a new and exciting show-room called ‘Fabric of Football’. Noah Gurdan (21) who is a student said, “I love to wear a classic vintage shirt, like the England 90’ shirt – I think they look cool and go great with jeans and a pair of Spezials”. When asked about conventional shirts he said, “they’re far too tight to look good with jeans”.
As a result, the problem sub-cultural trends like the indie scene are going to have in the coming years is that, very soon, vintage shirts from the 90s are going to cease to exist, or at least become very rare and expensive. Leaving the performance shirts of today to be undesirable and redundant. However, according to Joe East (25) who works in football sports marketing at Nike – says it’s, “down to the brand and club/ federation with the main priority being what will sell, often you will see plain home and away kits with a more expressive third strip”. He believes that kits like that of PSG’s Jordan kit; which is a high-end sportswear subsidiary of Nike, will achieve extreme desirability in the coming year when they’ve stopped being manufactured.
The only question remains is whether they’ll appeal to the likes of those indie fans who thrive of going to summer festivals in bucket hats, wearing the baggy football shirt of the team who won the Premier League in the year they were born.
