Bloke core, an often disputed term merging laddish, hooligan culture into a trendy catalogue of fits has taken the
world by storm, but is this a modern faff, or is the football shirt truly here to stay?
The football shirt is undisputedly an iconic piece of outerwear.
Everywhere you travel, it is guaranteed that you will see something jersey focussed.
From the inevitable visits to vintage shops where old jerseys are in stock, to walking through your local park, the humble football jersey has a different meaning and story for everyone.
But is this rugged style here to leave a legacy, or have the ‘blokey’ football shirts come to an end of an era?
First of all, it is important that we get the integral definition of what outfit pairs well with a football shirt, most commonly known as ‘Blokecore’.
A ‘blokey’ outfit would typically consist of a sporty, mainly retro sports memorabilia top, yet again commonly being football. Pairing effectively with this fit is ideally a pair of oversized, loose fitting jeans or jorts.
I personally adore oversized jorts for the comfort factor, alongside the stylistic support it provides to a slightly smaller top. To complete this fit, It is argued that the Adidas Samba is perhaps the most iconic trainer in bloke core.
It also proves particularly important to distinguish the place that football shirts have in our modern society.
Everyday people wear them to relax, during physical activities, going to watch football matches or even just going
to socialise with friends.
The unity provided through one collective badge or particular design forms a melting pot of like minded individuals, all of which have different styles and personalities yet unify under a shared interest.
Yet, the rising cost of football shirts in high street chains forms a barrier to the less fortunate, with fees averaging around £70 for a new shirt in itself. Largely to blame for this is manufacturing costs, paired with the disputed
licensing issues and general inflation in this cost of living crisis.
Luke Ashmore – Clarke, a die-hard West Ham fan and Football Management student from London expresses his fashion through the art of a football shirt.
Luke said: “I’ll tell you one of the reasons that they are popular is because every year there’s new designs and it became iconic in a way, people associate players with certain shirts and they’re just a huge part of fashion.
People who don’t support a team still want to wear certain shirts, I can’t blame them because some of the shirts being worn are iconic and add a lot to an outfit”.
Yet, there is still ambiguity of which style to rock with a football shirt, and whether it’s confined to one genre of clothing or an accessible and manageable staple.
“I would usually wear a pair of jeans, shoes wise i’d probably put on a pair of Adidas gazelles and sambas, or in the summer a nice pair of shorts, something quite basic really”.
The relaxed nature of these football shirts mean that you can go as bold or regular as you like, from vibrant, in-your face patterns and colours to a blank canvas, decorated with whatever accessories you opt for.
Through collaborations with different brands and artists the humble football shirt has been integrated into mainstream culture, making up a large statement piece, yet also being a force for social change.
A key example of this can be viewed through the recent Fontaines DC collaboration with Irish team Bohemian FC.
The 2025 third kit displays a gradient design, merging a pastel baby blue with a vivid pink to contrast. This merge is broken up by vertical stripes of pink.
These colours are symbolic of their 2024 album titled ‘Romance’. Fontaine’s influence on this kit can also be seen through the use of shoulder stripes, in a notable pink, black and neon yellow colourway.
Football fanatic and Business owner Jaafar Almaliki, also known as ‘The Football Shirt guy’, has amounted 21.8 k followers on Instagram through his football shirt content.
Jaafar said: “It’s become a huge fashion statement for most people especially with celebrities like Kanye and Travis Scott wearing them in public”.
“When these celebrities wear them it has enabled wearing football shirts to become accepted into society,
people wear them without caring about football because it’s a fashion statement, it’s different.”
Whilst celebrities and influencers have undisputedly pushed these football shirts onto many peoples scope in terms of fashion, major events such as the EUROS and the World Cup have arguably had a bigger influence.
Jaafar detailed how not only his business, but the football retail industry in America has skyrocketed since the announcement of them hosting the 2026 World Cup.
“In the past couple of years when the world cup got announced I’ve seen a huge growth in my business. I started 2 years ago before there was barely anyone in the US who did this, mostly in Europe and the UK.
Even for me there were no US sellers, I used to buy my kits from the EU.
Huge resellers like Classic Football Shirts, when the world cup got announced they started to do pop ups in the US like Miami and LA, now they’ve opened 3 permanent stores which is huge for these shirts, they’re already the biggest in the UK and these stores have shown how the market has grown its really impressive.”
Whilst football shirts provide a strong backbone for an outfit, it comes at a cost for the environment. The production of football shirts largely rely on the use of polyester, a material which leaves a far larger carbon footprint than the likes of cotton.
Certain measures can be taken relating to the production of these football shirts to promote sustainable practices through modern processes. A notable one can be viewed through resale, with football shirts being available in bulk in vinted shops, and online resale platforms such as Depop and Vinted.
Another popular measure for reuse for their reuse within popular vintage and retro stores which have
had a surge in popularity in recent years.
You will undoubtedly find some retro branding in kilo sales and shops, from the big teams to unbranded, unnamed sports shirts.
Chris Grindley, director of Sheffield-based football charity Kits4Causes, compares football to that of a ‘universal game’ with everyone understanding the ‘simple rules of a ball going into two posts’.
The overall aim of Kits 4 Cause is to recycle and redistribute old football kits and equipment which isn’t in use anymore, donating it to social development projects and further reducing the waste of unsustainable football practices.
Grindley said: “Ive had the privilege of doing two visits through kits 4 causes. In 2012 I went to Zimbabwe and i got to go around ‘’ and we handed out over 500 kits i managed to cram into a big hold all, i got to go and do some football coaching and visit the Zimbabwean FA and all these bits and pieces. It was amazing seeing kind of the way the game impacted the kids and adults taking part”.
Whilst Kits4Causes ultimately targets those who are less fortunate and seek the assistance of organisations for support and funding, Grindley expresses the importance of football and kits in today’s society.
“It allows people to connect with you. I think particularly if you’re wearing a premier league shirt or you know a Barcelona or Real Madrid top. These teams are so well known that it automatically breaks the ice and there’s a connection. You know you might not be a supporter of that team but you might remember a player or a game or a particular goal that you can share with that person so its a great way of breaking down boundaries”
Another measure which can be taken is upcycling, where existing products which are no longer being used are separated into materials and repurposed into new products. This measure has become evermore popular, and is particularly useful in the football world due to the synthetic materials used in kits being incredibly damaging to the environment, and arguably indestructible.
Not only does football fashion and blokecore have particular relevance in mainstream media and artists, the influence of these brands stretch far beyond. Football can be defined as a religion, with children indoctrinated into it by families for generations.
The severity of the ‘badge’ could almost be compared to the symbol of a cross, worn proudly by the heart for generations. No matter how you wear your football shirt, it will undisputedly be in fashion, and stay in fashion for as long as the sport lives.
