Pitch, Please: Why are we all wearing football shirts?
Football shirts have evolved beyond the pitch, entering high-end fashion circles. But why? Is it a rebellious statement against the male-dominated football culture, or just fashion’s latest obsession with subverting the ordinary?
By Natasha
The evolution of football shirts from simple symbols of fandom to fashion statements is one of the more curious trends of recent years. Football jerseys, once synonymous with terraces filled with male camaraderie, now appear everywhere, from brunch to high-end events. In 2024, women wear them not only to games but to work and even in fashion circles. What began as a functional garment has evolved into a fashion-forward must-have, blurring the lines between sport, street style, and high fashion. Seeing a Juventus kit paired with stilettos at a gallery opening? No longer surprising.
So, how did football jerseys make this jump from terraces to catwalks? As fashion weeks showcasing Spring/Summer 2025 wrap up and stores release their Autumn/Winter 2024 collections, this trend shows no signs of slowing down. But it raises a question: why are football jerseys everywhere, and what do they mean in a world where women’s football is on the rise?
Football jerseys have become more than just match-day wear. They are now a focal point in fashion’s history of subverting the ordinary. But are women really wearing these shirts because they’re football fans? Or are they simply fashion staples, detached from their original meaning? When Bella Hadid dons an adidas football shirt or Miley Cyrus sports a vintage Manchester United jersey, is it out of club support, or just because it looks good paired with high-waisted jeans?
Much like people who wear Metallica or Nirvana shirts without knowing a single song, some might argue that the football shirt is simply being co-opted by fashion rather than fandom. But here’s the thing: for many young women, seeing their peers in football shirts at least sparks a conversation about the sport. Research shows that increased visibility of women and girls participating in sports can positively influence others to get involved. According to a study published in Frontiers, the presence of female athletes in traditionally male-dominated sports helps shift cultural perceptions, inspiring more women and girls to participate. These shirts may seem like just another fashion trend, but for young women, they represent visibility and inclusion in spaces once dominated by men.
This trend is mirrored in the digital world as well. Football Manager 2025 (released next month) promises a ‘new era’, featuring women’s teams for the first time, highlighting the growing prominence of the women’s game in both real life and virtual spaces. The inclusion of women’s football in such a popular game showcases how the sport is being recognised and celebrated beyond the pitch, adding another layer to the visibility that is driving increased participation.
The 90s revival we’re currently experiencing, marked by the return of cultural icons like Oasis and Blur, has undoubtedly played a role in the resurgence of football shirts. Once synonymous with lad culture, football jerseys were symbols of laddishness in the Britpop era, roaming the streets alongside pints and chants. Today, women are at the forefront of this cultural reimagination, leading the charge in how these once hyper-masculine garments are styled. During the 90s, the ladette trend was the ultimate rebellion against boomer parents, with women adopting male behaviours—out-drinking, out-swearing, and challenging traditional gender roles. Now, football shirts, once a hallmark of laddishness, have been softened, reworked, and elevated to fashion-forward statements.
The broader cultural trends driving this resurgence are mirrored in the ‘blokecore’ trend, a nostalgic nod to 90s terrace culture. But in 2024, blokecore has expanded beyond the terraces, with women wearing men’s football shirts or unisex jerseys, reclaiming garments once linked with hyper-masculinity. Football shirts are now a staple of both street style and high fashion, blending sport and style.
This shift has coincided with the explosive growth of women’s football. The 2023 Women’s World Cup was a pivotal moment, drawing in 2 billion viewers (up from 1.12 billion in 2019) and shining a spotlight on a sport that had long been marginalised. Attendance for the FA Women’s Super League (WSL) has also soared, with an average of 7,363 fans per game—a 41% increase from last season’s 5,222. Arsenal set new league attendance records on three separate occasions, with their match against Manchester United currently holding the top spot at 60,160 attendees.
This surge in interest has turned women’s football merchandise, especially shirts, into hot commodities. According to Drapers, during the 2023 World Cup, sales of England’s women’s merchandise jumped by 710% after the Lionesses beat Australia in the semi-final, outshining the 412% sales spike seen during their UEFA Women’s Euros semi-final against Sweden in 2022. Google searches for “Lionesses kit” rocketed by nearly 4,000% during the tournament, while top players like Lauren Hemp, Millie Bright, and Mary Earps saw a surge in demand for their shirts—though controversy arose when Nike failed to sell Earps’ goalkeeper kit.
But it’s not just dedicated fans buying these shirts. Many of the women sporting Reggae Girlz shirts (Jamaica’s national team) or Barcelona Femení strips in trendy cafés aren’t necessarily following every match. Football shirts have transcended their original purpose, becoming fashion statements that reflect broader trends rather than sporting allegiances. Are these women reclaiming space in a world dominated by men, or is this just fashion’s ability to elevate the ordinary into something extraordinary?
transformation
Designers have been pivotal in this transformation. Fashion heavyweights like Wales Bonner, Martine Rose, and Balenciaga have reimagined the football shirt for their high fashion collections, turning the garment into a sought-after item. Martine Rose’s oversized, gender-neutral designs blend streetwear with terrace culture, redefining how we view masculinity in sport. Meanwhile Wales Bonner’s collaborations with adidas Originals take inspiration from vintage silhouettes, merging 70s and 80s retro styles with her Afro-Atlantic perspective. The result? A collection that brings football culture into a fresh, culturally rich context.
Balenciaga, under the direction of Demna Gvasalia, has long been fascinated by football shirts. This fascination made headlines in 2020 when Balenciaga featured football shirts in their collection, exploring society’s obsession with team sports. The brand continued this exploration in 2023 by teaming up with Stade Rennais F.C. to debut a limited-edition jersey kit, making a stand against homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia. The kit, featuring Pride flag-inspired details, was part of an initiative to promote inclusivity and celebrate diversity in sport.
Celebrity culture has also propelled the trend, pushing it into the mainstream. Everyone from Taylor Swift to Dua Lipa (who’s the face of PUMA‘s Palermo campaign) has been spotted wearing football shirts in recent months. In one memorable moment, Sabrina Carpenter wore an England shirt over a Versace mini-dress during her performance at the Capital FM Summertime Ball earlier this summer, perfectly blending sport and high fashion. These celebrity endorsements have helped to decontextualise the football shirt, turning it from a symbol of fan loyalty into a chic fashion statement.
Even resale platforms like Depop and StockX have felt the impact of this trend. Depop reported a 294% increase in searches for football shirts during the 2024 Euros, and StockX saw a 68% rise in sales of football jerseys year-on-year, particularly for collections like Palace x Umbro. It’s clear that the football shirt is no longer just a piece of sportswear—it’s a symbol of the blending between sport and fashion. Whether or not the wearer knows the name of the player whose number they’re sporting seems irrelevant.
Does this mean football shirts have lost their original significance? Have they become nothing more than trendy garments, detached from their roots in sport? For some, this might feel like a dilution of the shirt’s meaning. But for others, wearing one without knowing its history is an ultimate act of cultural fluidity. In 2024, women are subverting norms, reclaiming a space that was long reserved for men.
Yet, this shift is not just about fashion’s tendency to recycle and recontextualise. The growing popularity of women’s football has added layers of meaning to this trend. Football shirts have become symbols of empowerment, particularly as more women step onto the pitch and take control of the sport. The number of registered female football teams in England has more than doubled in the past seven years. From 5,632 teams in the 2016-17 season, the figure skyrocketed to over 12,150 by 2023-24. The increase in the number of women and girls playing football since 2020? 56%! The football shirt, once the domain of men, is now becoming a national uniform for women too.
The creative world has also taken note. We’re huge fans of artists like Nicole Chui, who use football shirts as canvases for cultural expression, blending sport and art. Chui, part of Baesianz FC, stitches artwork onto football kits, turning them into statements about identity and belonging (read Nicole’s Glorious piece here). Initiatives like Art of Football are pushing the boundaries of what football shirts can represent, turning them into wearable pieces of art that celebrate the cultural impact of the sport. They’ve just dropped the next jersey in their Home series—an ode to London, ‘the cultural capital city of the world’—available now. Art of Football believes that football is a community, not a commodity, with the strength of our community defined by its individuals and the passion that brings us together.
Additionally, FOUDYS have joined forces with Klarna and COPA90 to launch a new women’s football merchandise collection, as part of Klarna’s Rep Her Initiative. The collection, designed by the brilliant Sophie Hird, brings attention to the availability gap in women’s official sport merchandise, with proceeds supporting The Laces Community Clubs to foster the growth of women’s football. Wearers of these pieces are not just supporting a movement; they are actively celebrating and elevating female fans and athletes everywhere.
There are other women doing great things in the world of football, like Pernille Gardien, who founded Gardien Sports. As the first and only Scandinavian football and sportswear brand for girls, Gardien Sports is on a mission to empower female athletes and footballers around the globe. The brand focuses on creating gear that appeals to both aesthetic and athleticism, enhancing performance and pushing limits, both on and off the field. Pernille, who has played for top clubs in Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the UK, identified a gap in clothing designed specifically for women that prioritises comfort during play. Her dedication to this vision means female athletes (and football fashion fans!) can find versatile and high-quality apparel that caters to both their needs.
creativity
Women’s teams are also embracing this cultural shift, with rebranding efforts like those of F.C. Como Women exemplifying the trend (read Como Women’s Glorious story here). Their sleek, monochromatic 24/25 season home and away kits, launched in collaboration with Nike under the “We Belong Here” campaign, align the team with high fashion while making a bold statement about the evolving role of women in football. This rebranding reflects the broader cultural movement that is transforming football shirts into symbols of empowerment and creativity.
As we move deeper into 2024, it’s clear that football shirts continue to be a dominant trend in both fashion and culture. They represent a unique convergence of style, nostalgia, and rebellion, with women at the forefront of reinterpreting what the football shirt can signify. Once primarily worn by men on the terraces, these shirts have evolved into symbols of something much bigger—freedom, individuality, and cultural fluidity.
At Glorious, we predict this trend will only keep growing, transforming into a major movement by next summer—set to become the Adidas Samba of 2025! Whether worn for fashion, fandom, or simply for the love of a good aesthetic, football shirts are poised to stay relevant well beyond 2024, continuing their reign in wardrobes everywhere.
Sources:
Frontiers: Five-Year Changes in Community-Level Sport Participation
Euromonitor: Women’s World Cup Viewership
The FA: Attendance for the FA Women’s Super League
Drapers: Lionesses Spark Surge in Football Shirt Sales
Vogue Business: The Euros may be over, but fashion’s football fever lives on
Spond: The Rise of Women’s Football in the UK
Title image featuring imagery via: Martine Rose, Donatella Versace IG, PUMA, ASOS, Art of Football, adidas Football, F.C. Como Women, KSENIASCHNAIDER IG.
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