Casuals

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Casuals are an element of football support that first evolved in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Britain and is typified by the wearing of expensive European designer clothing.

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[edit] Origins

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This article has been tagged since March 2007.

British Football support has had a strong fashion led cult element since the rise of the Teddy Boysin the mid 1950's but it was with the arrival of the Mod culture in the early 1960s that the origins of the Casual culture can be seen. Groups of youths whop had long associated themselves with football clubs began to bring their fashions onto the football terraces and certain clubs began to be known for their Mod following (for instance Chelsea F.C and West Ham United. This continued with the Mod's spritual descendants the Skinheads in the late 1960s. With the late 1970's Mod revival the cult of the Casual began to grow and change as English football fans returned from trips to continental Europe following clubs such as Nottingham Forest, West Ham and in particular Liverpool and Everton. Fans began arriving in England wearing expensive Italian and French designer clothes, sometimes looted from stores during outbreaks of violence that were commonplace when English fans travelled abroad. Initially many hooligans and members of football firms started to wear designer labels and expensive sportswear so as not to attract the attention of police and no club colours were worn so it was easier to infiltrate rival groups as well as gain access to pubs etc. At the time many police forces were still on the look out for skinhead fans wearing Doc Martens boots and didn't pay attention to fans in expensive designer clothing.

Important clothing labels during the 1980s include Fila, Stone Island, Fiorucci, Pepe, Benetton, Sergio Tacchini, Ralph Lauren, Lyle & Scott, Le Coq Sportif, Ellesse, Lacoste, Kappa, Kickers, Pringle,Burberry, and Slazenger. Gradually this changed to become a fully fledged cult with fashions changing weekly and that was beginning to make a huge impact on mainstream youth culture. The Casual cult reached its peak in the late 1980s and with the arrival of the Acid House, Rave and Madchester scenes many commented that the violence in the cult died out.

[edit] 1990s revival

During the mid-1990s casual culture witnessed a massive revival but emphasis on style had changed slightly. Many fans adopted the casual look as a kind of uniform, identifying them as different from the ordinary supporters at their club. Brands such as Stone Island, Aquascutum and the infamous Burberry were seen at nearly every club as well as classic favourites such as Lacoste and Paul & Shark.

In the late 1990s many casuals began to move away from what was seen as the new 'casual uniform' and began to again wear clothing that differentiated them from regular supporters and from those wearing the aforementioned brands as the police, as with the skinhead fashions of the 1970s, began to mark out fans simply by the clothes they were wearing.

[edit] 2000s

Although Stone Island is still being worn, many are detaching the compass badge so as to be less obvious. However, with the two buttons still attached, those in the know are still able to recognise other casuals. Some police forces have tried unsuccessfully to link Stone Island's compass logo with the neo-Nazi version of the Celtic cross. Because of this, new and more left-of-centre clothing labels began to gain popularity amongst casuals. Prada, Façonnable, Fake London Genius, One True Saxon, Maharishi, Mandarina Duck, 6876, and Dupe have begun gaining widespread popularity.

Casual fashion has experienced an increase in popularity in the 2000s, with British music acts such as The Streets and The Mitchell Brothers sporting casual outfits in their music videos. Casual culture has been highlighted by films such as The Football Factory, Green Street, and ID.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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