Many personal experiences, social movements, alongside countless forms of media/art have had an influence on my life and development, yet when asked to highlight a specific cultural influence to discuss, I was conscious to evaluate an element of my upbringing that has been constant throughout. As with everyone, my tastes in design, music, fashion, even food and lifestyle, have altered, matured or taken a different direction in time, whilst sport, and football in particular, has always been consistent. I have no intention of homing in on the sport itself, the business/ media aspects, or the football retail/replica industry sectors. With a dominant relevance to fashion, the study is more of an exploration into the social implications surrounding the sport, the creation of a subculture and the impact it may have made on my personal direction to date.
My father is an avid football fan, in his heyday travelling the length and breadth of the UK and Europe, amongst large numbers, to follow his team. The era undoubtedly had an influence on how he perceived clothing, instilling an awareness of labels and designers, rather than simply a certain look or garment style. Suddenly men with less awareness, care or inclination to push the direction of their dress sense, had clear indicators to direct them or abide to. I believe as I grew up, through certain male influences and peer groups, this formed my first subconscious familiarity of branding, particularly within the context of fashion.
I am fully aware of the stigma/stereo type attached to the football fan, especially when interacting with a group predominately of undergraduate females. The subject matter is a great example of how to consider and evaluate a social movement that may not bare any interest to yourself, but has made a clear impact on the industry you plan to enter. Britain changed more in the 1980s than in almost any recent decade. As like today, at the time Football was perceived as the national game, and with it the ‘football casuals’ organically came to fruition. Thus having an unquestionable influence on menswear, with the ramifications still prominent to this day.
