Dressing Like A Hooligan Isn’t All Bad

If you’ve ever watched any of the 8 million hooligan films that came out in the 2000s, you’ll know the dress-code already. Stone Island sweaters, Burberry caps and scarves, Lacoste sneakers, plenty of silver bling. This was haute couture done the Danny Dyer way, with firms of so-called ‘football casuals’ donning stylish European apparel that suggested they were all about to go on a sailing holiday together, before charging at each other with clubs and fists.

Now terrace fashion (named for the stands where fans watched their teams) is making a comeback in a big way. And oddly enough, it’s not being spearheaded by some cockney film star or English rock star, but by… Drake. Taking his cue from London’s grime scene, whose inner-city style is heavily indebted to the original look of those casuals, the Canadian multi-talent is increasingly turning America and the wider world onto labels that at one time were strictly reserved for those who loved nothing more than having a punch-up on a cold afternoon at a British soccer match.

It might seem a strange look to resurrect given its origins, but Drake isn’t the only one doing his best to popularise it, as the trend moves away from those predominantly white working-class UK roots to the streets of New York and LA. With its blend of solid fabrics, loose fits and luxury price tags, the style has become a big deal with American rappers, including Vince Staples and Travis Scott. And as it increasingly enters the mainstream, both overseas and closer to home, it’s once again proving to be a trend worth fighting for.