If this summer has taught us anything so far, it's that sports have the power to bring cities, communities, and countries together, and that the influence on fashion is undeniable. "Few things bring people together quite like sports—we are yearning for connection now more than ever, and fandom provides a deep and engaging community that also happens to be rabid," stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson tells Coveteur. From the buzz around vintage Knicks merch during the finals to the pleated tennis skirts we'll be styling once the US Open kicks off in August, and all the eyes on athletes' tunnel walks, fashion and sports have always overlapped—but now, they've intertwined like never before.
Since the World Cup's kickoff on June 11th, the fashion set's style has been all about soccer. We've seen celebrities and tastemakers alike styling kits, low-profile sneakers, and baggy athletic shorts for every occasion. The reason? "We all want to belong to something and fashion is a perfect vehicle to provide fandom (and sports!) with immediate signifiers of belonging—it furnishes the cultural cohesion because it's a catalyst for inclusion," Karefa-Johnson says.
Avid fans and those simply seeking something to believe in are flocking to crowded bars to support their chosen teams, and this is a testament to our collective need for community. For fashion lovers, soccer-inspired trends offer just that. "Fashion's trend cycle moves so fast now that it can feel manufactured and inauthentic to people who actually live their lives in clothes. The thing about soccer or any fandom-related fashion is that it's emotional—it signals to like-minded people, it ruffles rival feathers, there's nothing fake about it!" Karefa-Johnson says. "Haiti had to redesign their jersey this cycle after FIFA flagged the original as too political, since it referenced the Haitian Revolution, which is lame, but that's exactly what I mean. We invest emotion into a jersey. In a moment where everyone's craving something with actual stakes, sport just comes with that built in, and fashion's smart enough to tap in! "
Fashion houses have taken notice of the community's affinity for the game, too. For this World Cup, Loewe is the official off-pitch fashion partner for Spain's men's and women's national football teams. Louis Vuitton recently announced its creation of a bespoke trophy trunk for the finals. Brands are getting involved, and we don't imagine this will go away anytime soon.
While the buzz feels particularly timely, soccer has inspired more trends than I think the general public realizes—and for much longer, too. Ahead, we break down the most significant fashion trends that were born out of the game of soccer.
Terrace Culture
Colorsport / ShutterstockIn the late '70s UK, a subculture known as terrace culture was born amongst working-class football fans. The name derived from the terrace that working-class folks would sit in at football games. They wore athletic track jackets and low-profile sneakers, more often than not complete with a gum sole, Lacoste or Fred Perry polo shirts, and generally relaxed silhouettes. "The nature of streetwear is that it comes from the people, and if the people love soccer, well… there you go! Terrace culture in the UK is where a whole streetwear category was born. Tracksuits and brand loyalty to labels like Stone Island happened on the stands well before it hit runways," Karefa-Johnson says. "It's a scale thing. The entire planet actually agrees on the importance of soccer, so when fashion taps into it, it's tapping into something borderless."
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The Samba Revival
BACKGRIDWe all remember when, in the early 2020's, Adidas Sambas returned as a trend suddenly and without warning—it truly felt like, out of nowhere, everyone owned a pair (or two). This was representative of a shift away from those chunky sneakers that we all knew, loved, and wore into the ground in the twenty teens. The Samba was originally introduced into Adidas's lineup in 1949 and became a popular soccer shoe in the '80s and '90s. Then, around 2022 and due to a vintage revival, interest in sportswear, and celebrity endorsements, the Samba became a major trend once again.
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Blokecore
BACKGRID"Bloke" is UK slang that essentially means this: the everyday guy. Blokecore is characterized by styling vintage soccer jerseys with baggy blue jeans and often more hyper-feminized pieces like ruffled skirts for the sake of contrasting aesthetics. "Blokecore's still very much having a moment, but I've noticed it splitting into different directions," Karefa-Johnson says. "Menswear is leaning scrappy, we’re seeing jerseys paired with joggers and cargo pants, with an unexpected shoe like a loafer. Womenswear has gone almost hyper-feminine with a kit paired with lace, or a midi skirt."
