From the stands to the catwalk: the evolution of football shirts as fashion icons
It's surprising to think how a simple soccer jersey—originally designed to distinguish teams on the pitch—has now become a cult fashion item. Yet it has happened: the game uniform has undergone a cultural metamorphosis, moving from the pitch to the wardrobes of style enthusiasts. Once upon a time, only the most loyal fans dared to wear it outside the stadium; today, however, even famous fashion icons like Chiara Ferragni and Kim Kardashian sport soccer jerseys in their daily lives. This evolution isn't a coincidence, but the result of a long process in which sport and fashion have become increasingly intertwined. It's no coincidence that in recent years, major designers and fashion houses have collaborated with sports brands to design increasingly sophisticated jerseys, elevating the jersey from a simple uniform to a design object. The phenomenon is so widespread that it's even earned a name on social media: Bloke Core , the trend of wearing soccer jerseys as everyday streetwear.
The collision between fashion and football: from sponsorships to the catwalk
Football shirts began to transform into statement pieces in the 1980s, aided by the introduction of bold graphics, bright colors, and sponsor logos that often became an integral part of the aesthetic. In Italy, for example, the introduction of commercial sponsors on uniforms created image combinations that remained dear to fans. Consider Maradona's Napoli jersey : a simple, essential blue, highlighted by the iconic Buitoni sponsor on the chest, which became the "absolute emblem" of the Neapolitan club's visual identity. Similarly, AS Roma in the 1980s and 1990s inextricably linked its style to the Barilla brand: the yellow and red uniforms of that period, embellished with the Barilla logo and the famous wolf designed by Piero Gratton, exuded such sporty elegance that they were remembered as timeless icons . Roma 1992/93 , in particular, made history to the point that its design was revived and celebrated thirty years later, with a contemporary re-edition by Adidas. It is therefore not surprising to see those same shirts today in the collections of nostalgics and collectors, displayed as relics of a golden age.
Two Roma players in the early 1990s wore the classic yellow and red shirt with the Barilla sponsor, a design that became so popular that it was re-released in a modern version decades later.
At the same time, the fashion industry began to draw on football imagery. Renowned clubs and top designers crossed paths: Off-White designed uniforms for AC Milan, Giorgio Armani created a special jersey for Napoli, and AS Roma engaged Fendi as a fashion partner. And again: Paris Saint-Germain entered the world of streetwear with Jordan Brand, and other collaborations – from Balenciaga with Adidas to Gucci with the NBA – testify to an ongoing dialogue between atelier and stadium. This collision between once-distant worlds has established the soccer jersey as a coveted item even outside of fan circles , worn purely for aesthetic reasons. In 2023, we saw influencers and international stars sporting vintage uniforms as if they were haute couture: American Kim Kardashian snapped by paparazzi wearing Roma's yellow and red jersey from the 1997-98 season, or top model Emily Ratajkowski wearing Napoli's colors, celebrating an impending Scudetto. Signs of the times: what was once a symbol of sporting affiliation is now a statement of style and pop culture affiliation.
Iconic designs: from the field to pop culture
If some shirts have become fashion items, it's also thanks to their bold and innovative designs , capable of imprinting themselves on the collective imagination. The 1988 European Championships gave the world one of the most striking examples: the Netherlands 1988 shirt , bright orange, decorated with a nuanced geometric mosaic that seemed futuristic at the time. That motif of overlapping triangles – almost a work of textile art – provoked mixed reactions even among the players on the pitch: captain Ruud Gullit, for example, initially ironically compared it to "fish scales." Yet over time, that uniform has been re-evaluated as a true gem of sports design, so much so that it has become a grail for vintage jersey collectors . The West Germany jersey from Italia '90 is also emblematic: a pure white background crossed on the chest by the colors of the German flag in an abstract and dynamic motif. A bold but perfectly executed design, capable of enhancing the German tricolor without betraying Teutonic sobriety. The fact that that kit accompanied Germany to World Cup victory only added to its legend, cementing it in the memory of millions of fans. Even today, that 1990 Adidas jersey is considered a timeless classic, often imitated but never equaled, to the point that the same graphic design has been reproduced several times in retro and streetwear collections.
West German players celebrate in 1990 wearing the famous Adidas shirt inspired by the German flag, a design that became an instant classic beyond the sporting victory .
In the 1990s, the creative explosion also reached the clubs, generating shirts so particular that they transcended the boundaries of fandom and became pop icons . A case in point is the Arsenal 1991-1993 away shirt , better known as the “bruised banana” . At the time, its yellow pattern with dark blue diagonal stripes – which indeed resembled the skin of a bruised banana – made many traditionalists turn up their noses, but in hindsight it has become a cult. That kit, worn by champions such as Ian Wright in the early years of the Premier League, is today remembered as “one of the most memorable designs football has ever seen”, initially derided but quickly acquired cult status among collectors. The eccentricity of that Adidas shirt, with the JVC sponsor in red on the chest, has over time become synonymous with a vibrant and creative era of football, so much so that Arsenal and Adidas have repeatedly paid homage to the motif in modern collections for fans.
Arsenal’s infamous 1991-93 away shirt, nicknamed the “bruised banana” for its unique pattern, initially divisive but later revered by fans and often re-released in a vintage style.
In Italy, the style of '90s jerseys reached iconic heights thanks to brands like Kappa, Lotto, and Umbro, which experimented with bold designs and materials. Juventus, under the Kappa brand, for example, set the pace in terms of looks: the black and white kits of the mid-'90s featured the famous tape with the Omini Kappa logo along the sleeves for the first time, a graphic element borrowed from the streetwear of the time, which gave the jersey an instantly recognizable look. The Juventus teams of Del Piero and Zidane – protagonists of a golden era – wore jerseys that today we consider cult vintage , so much so that their aesthetic was literally brought to the catwalk. In 2025, in fact, the Japanese brand Sedan All-Purpose launched a capsule collection inspired by Juve's iconic '90s Kappa kits , reusing their colors and patterns to create contemporary apparel. It's a sign of how much those jerseys have influenced: Juventus' football heritage has become a global fashion language. But Juve isn't alone in this nostalgic trend. Another example comes from Buenos Aires: the Boca Juniors jersey – blue with a wide yellow horizontal band – has remained virtually unchanged over the decades, to the point of becoming a cultural symbol in itself. The model created by Adidas in 1981-82, worn by a young Diego Armando Maradona, is remembered as one of the aesthetic peaks of South American football: a simple yet unique kit, with that yellow stripe and the club's stars on the chest, immediately associated in the collective imagination with Boca and its triumphs. Even today, wearing that shirt – or its retro replicas – means recalling not only a glorious club, but a proudly popular and genuine style attitude , which from the stands of La Bombonera has spread around the world.
From jerseys to wardrobes: football in contemporary streetwear
Over the past decade, the revival of vintage jerseys and the creation of increasingly daring designs have fueled a veritable collective craze . The culmination of this process was seen with the Nigeria 2018 World Cup jersey, a kit that fused heritage and modernity with stunning results. Presented with a neon green zigzag geometric pattern inspired by Nigerian kits from the '90s, this Nike jersey sparked global excitement even before its debut on the pitch. On the day of its release in stores, millions of people tried to get their hands on it as if it were a limited-edition sneaker: we're talking about hype on a par with that of the most coveted Air Jordans, with sky-high pre-orders and queues outside stores. The result? It sold out immediately —stock evaporated in minutes—and the jersey was resold online at triple the price on the secondary market. A fashion magazine called it "a soccer jersey put through the hype grinder as if it were a Supreme collaboration," highlighting how a soccer product had become a global streetwear phenomenon. Indeed, the Nigeria 2018 jersey was no longer just the Super Eagles ' jersey: it was a trendy item, adopted even by those who knew little or nothing about soccer but loved the design. Ordinary people, rappers, influencers—everyone wanted to wear it because it represented the style of the moment . Since then, major sports companies have seized the opportunity, creating increasingly eye-catching jerseys rich in cultural references, knowing that a well-executed kit can go viral well beyond the pitch.
A Nigerian footballer wears the revolutionary 2018 World Cup jersey: a Nike kit that blended 90s nostalgia with contemporary graphics, which immediately became a cult object in global streetwear. .
Looking at this journey—from the historic kits of the '80s and '90s to today's trendy collaborations—it's easy to understand why some jerseys have become collector's items and style icons . It's often a combination of factors: a unique and recognizable design , perhaps linked to an epic victory or worn by a charismatic champion; an iconic sponsor that evokes an era (think Opel on AC Milan in the '90s, Mars on Napoli in the late '80s, or Sony on Juventus in '96); and the power of nostalgia , which transforms those shirts into emotional relics for fans. As time passes, fashion fades, but style remains—and the best football jerseys have style to spare. They are timeless : pieces of sporting history that continually live again, on the runways and on the streets, reaffirming their transversal appeal. Like a great collective ritual, wearing a vintage jersey today means declaring your belonging to something more than a team: it means embracing an aesthetic, a memory, a shared cultural spirit . Football jerseys, born for the game, have become canvases for fashion and pop culture—and will continue to take us on a journey in our minds, making us feel part of a history we wear on our skin.