London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

The Art of the Terraces: How football fans led a fashion revolution

The Art of the Terraces: How football fans led a fashion revolution

Before the late 1970s, trainers were usually only worn by people doing sport.

That all changed when football fans from Liverpool started travelling to Europe to follow their teams.

When they came home, they brought back trainers and branded clothing that weren't yet on sale in the UK.

A new exhibition at Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery charts the impact those football 'casuals' had on the fashions of today.

The exhibition includes some of the original casuals' clothing


The casuals were fans who dumped the styles of previous generations of football supporters (who mostly sported their team colours, flared trousers and denim or parka jackets) in favour of designer brands.

Casuals were often associated with football violence. Now their legacy is seen in the fashions of today.

Whether it was the trainers they sought out (Adidas was the most highly prized) or brands like Fila, Sergio Tacchini, Lacoste, Slazenger, Stone Island and Fred Perry, the trends these football fans wore on the football terraces and beyond are now mainstream.

Stand by Pete McKee is in the exhibition. To be asked "Where d'ya get your trainees from?" was an accolade


I took former Everton player Derek Mountfield round the Art of the Terraces exhibition. It sparked memories for the ex-centre back, who won the league and the Uefa Cup Winners' Cup in 1985 with the club.

"Fans would go to Europe and bring back clothes," he told me as we looked at mannequins dressed in the iconic brands. "It was part of the culture of Merseyside."

As for trainers, the casuals "made it fashion", said Mountfield - although he couldn't take part in the obsession with Adidas. He was sponsored by Nike and had to wear that brand instead.

Derek Mountfield and his Everton team won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1985


This youth movement didn't have a name at first. It was centred around three things: following a football team, wearing branded clothing at the match and, for some, getting into fights with rival fans.

It was a mainly male pursuit, but Jacqui McAssey, who set up the Girlfans project in 2013, said the legacy of the casuals also endures for women.

These days, some of the women she photographs for her football fanzine "see the match as a place to dress up", she said. "You'll see your Adidas, Nike, Chanel, Gucci."

Casuals could be seen wearing many Italian, French and German brands


In Liverpool back then, the fans involved in this movement called themselves scallies. In Manchester they were Perry Boys, after the Fred Perry shirts they wore.

When the movement reached London, its members described themselves as dressers. By the early 1980s, the term casuals was being used.

Liverpool supporter Dave Hewitson, a casual and the author of The Liverpool Boys Are In Town, is one of the co-creators of the Art of the Terraces exhibition.

He remembers how, in 1982, he and his friends went to watch Aston Villa play Bayern Munich just so they could get some trainers.

Hewitson and his friends would follow teams around Europe just to buy the latest sportswear


"We'd get training shoes we'd never seen before, we brought them home and it started to spread. From Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, it developed into the subculture we know today."

He added: "That's how high the subculture has gone, from a few scally lads going to Europe and pinching a few training shoes, to this exhibition."

Square Gogh by Ross Muir shows Vincent van Gogh wearing an Adidas top


Art of the Terraces includes much of this memorabilia, as well as artworks that reflect the matchday culture.

In the galleries are works by Turner Prize winners Mark Leckey and Mark Wallinger, clothing including 14 pairs of trainers, and vintage outfits from the time.

Mark Wallinger's They Think It's All Over... It Is Now is on display


A tweed jacket worn by Peter Hooton of the Farm, whose song All Together Now has been used by numerous football clubs, is also displayed.

Hooton, who also set up the zeitgeisty The End magazine in Liverpool, which meshed football and the wider culture of the time, said in the 80s, traditional gentleman's outfitters in the city started to understand they could capitalise on the demand from fans who were seeking out clothing other people didn't have.

"The staff couldn't believe it. 'Who are these kids coming in to get this stuff?' They didn't understand what was going on," he said.

For Peter Hooton, tweed became a part of his band The Farm's image


The exhibition defines an era whose legacy is seen in the clothes we all wear today.

Visitors are being asked to pay what they think it's worth.

It's hoped that it will attract people who don't usually visit art galleries, and who will see a subculture being reflected properly for the first time.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×