Discover how football shirts go beyond just clothing, becoming symbols of memory, family heritage and nostalgia.
Football Shirts have a unique capacity to encapsulate moments. A seemingly ordinary polyester piece of fabric which somehow has this surreal ability to take football fans back to 30 years ago. To the triumph of a trophy lift, heartbreak of relegation, a bond with a loved one, a friendship made in the stands. In many ways, football shirts tell stories. They are memories and often special moments in history.
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Charlie Graves’s Touching Story
Charlie Graves, 41, has been supporting Bolton Wanderers since he was a little boy, first introduced to the club by his beloved granddad, who took him to every match until his passing in 2004. The bond they shared was so strong that his death left Charlie in a deep slump he felt he would never escape from. But what his grandad left for him; he will cherish for the rest of his life
I remember when he died, I was a mess, ‘Charlie recalls.
‘Football was my escape. At that point, I was just 20, still figuring things out. I drank a lot, as a young lad, just to cope with how I was feeling. My relationship with my parents wasn’t great, and that’s why I spent so much time with my grandad. When he was gone, I felt a part of me went with him, and this one kit—this one shirt—is the part of him I will always have with me.’
The kit he is referring to is the 88/89 Bolton Wanderers kit, the year Wanderers won the Sherpa Van Trophy, the trophy now known as the EFL trophy. 5-year-old Graves had gone to that game with his granddad, and it was the first time he had ever seen his team win silverware.
He went to Wembley in 2023 as the Wanderers faced Plymouth Argyle in the EFL trophy final. Charlie wore that very shirt with utmost pride.
‘I wore that kit at that game, and I remember when that 4th goal had gone in thinking to myself, it was only yesterday I was at that game in 89 with him.’
‘But having that shirt on, it was as close to him actually being there with me, as I am ever going to get.’
What is so special is that we walk past hundreds of stories like Charlie’s every day.
Familiarity and Comfort of A Football Shirt
In a world increasingly turbulent, there is an enduring comfort in what is familiar. And for many of us, there’s nothing quite as familiar than the shirt of our football team.
‘‘There’s a level of safety in a kit, people like to feel comfortable in something that they know, especially when there’s so much uncertainty in the world,’ said Theo Hamburger, Head of Sales and Marketing at Admiral Sports.
‘That is why people come to sports all together because there is such a beauty in having no control over something, being passionate about it and having something you can love and it have no actual effect on your life.’
Football fans will agree that the footy on the weekend is often a silver lining after a tough week. Match-going fans will say that even some of the most uninteresting fixtures will somehow be the most memorable away days. Whether that is the banter with the fans, the overpriced beer and we can’t forget the ‘matchday scran’.
Though, for fans who have been following their side for years and years, many of these memories would be distant memories. But a glimpse of an old kit they wore on that cold wet night at Stoke, can bring those memories rushing back. Almost like a time machine to moments they thought they’d forgotten.
It is exactly this special power of kits to evoke memories that makes them so much more than just clothing. A phenomenon understood by Admiral very early on.
Heritage of Replica Shirts: The Pioneering Of Admiral Sports
The critical role in replica shirts culture played by Admiral sports can never be underestimated. An influential figure that continues to inspire kit manufacturers today.
Theo Hamburger says: ‘What you have to remember about Admiral is that all of our shirts were the first of its kind, there was never a replica shirt before Admiral.’
‘If you look at design over the 10 years, so much of it was inspired by Admiral.’
‘The Spurs shirt, with the taping on the inside of the neck, that had never been done before, the taping down the sleeve, that had never been done before, the hourglass design, that was the first of its kind.’
‘All of these little details didn’t exist until Admiral did it in the 70s and 80s.’
‘For that reason, it allowed those shirts to be constant and always, if you look at the West Ham kit of the 1980s that admiral produced, that shirt inspired West Ham’s shirt two seasons ago.’
Like Charlie’s Bolton shirt, Admiral’s pioneering designs have added a lasting emotional connection for supporters. These kits are symbols of history, carrying personal stories being passed down generations.
Modern kit manufacturers have continued this on. In the 2019/20 season Arsenal released their yellow away kit in resemblance to their very famous ‘bruised banana kit’ from 1991. In 2022 Man City released their away kit reminiscent of their famous red and black away kit from 1967/68.
Several other instances can be named to show how the modern kit manufacturers have brought into the olden days market. However, it is not just the football kit industry that have made the nostalgia venture.
Beyond Football: Nostalgia In the Fashion Industry
Nostalgia isn’t just big in football—it’s making its way into the wider fashion scene too. From oversized t-shirts to baggy jeans, we’ve seen a return to styles from the early 2000s and even earlier. Big brands like Footasylum have had to keep up with these shifts.
‘We need to stay on top of these changes because fashion trends are always cycling,’ says Aadiat Hassan, Visual Merchandiser at Footasylum, Manchester.
He points to the 2024 Euros, where demand for Nike and Adidas products spiked as people took to football kits to wear day to day. ‘During the tournament, a lot of people wore old Nike and Adidas international shirts, and other items from those brands fit right in with that style.’
The resurgence in that sort of styling has given brands a chance to gain ground. He highlights the example of Umbro saying: ‘Umbro were struggling for a time, but with many older trends coming back, they’ve capitalised on it.’
‘The same way people style Nike kits with other Nike products, people now wear old football shirts, and those kits work well with brands like Umbro and Reebok—not just for their looks but also the comfort and how long they last.’
Durability: Clothing As An Investment
Theo Hamburger picked up on the point of durability and how long football shirts can last. ‘How many items of clothing can you say that you can buy from the 90s that are still totally wearable, solid, still work you can wash, and it’s still the same.’
He raises the point on the significance of material.
‘Polyester is a performance-based material so it means they just last, whereas the cotton hoodies you wear at some point you’ll get a hole in the sleeve, or the colour will fade.’
‘Football shirts are always a constant in the sense that they won’t fade they won’t ruin.’
‘People have really tapped into understanding the value of a football shirt, there’s a level of rarity, people like collecting them because they are interested in the history or the story or the design.’
‘If you go on major retro websites today, you could pick up a football shirt for £20 from a few seasons ago, that shirt will last you 10/15/20 years and that unbelievable value for money in terms of purchase.’
‘There’s very few t-shirts that you could buy on the market right now that’ll last you that long, after wearing them to the gym, for a run, at work, people have really latched onto the versatility.’
Football and Fashion: Hand In Hand
Referring to the point of familiarity of football shirts raised by Theo Hamburger, Aadiat Hassan believes this concept exists in fashion more broadly.
‘People naturally gravitate towards what they know,’ he says. He adds that people often wear styles from times that hold personal significance. ‘The style people wear can bring out positive memories from what they might describe as simpler times.’
Simpler times for Charlie Graves for example, was going to Bolton Wanderers matches with his grandad. That special time of his life will forever be associated with that special 1988/89 kit.
As he ends by saying: ‘Sometimes kits are shirt, but sometimes they are heritage.