As soccer and fashion collide, what does this mean for the clothes that outfit the world's largest fandom?
It's been a few years now since we began hearing proclamations that soccer had finally "made it" in the United States. Now the second-most popular sport among children , soccer has reached a tipping point: As of 2015, Major League Soccer saw its average per-game attendance increase 40 percent in the previous 10 years, and more Americans watched the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final than both that year's NBA Finals and the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Each national team is made of players who play in a professional league elsewhere, like Brazil's Neymar , Argentina's Lionel Messi and Egypt's Mohamed Salah . The system allows for a universality that's not quite found elsewhere. Especially in the immediate time leading up to, and during, a World Cup, the soccer jersey is even more everywhere than it is in the two years between the men's and women's tournaments. Fan apparel — particularly now, surrounding the World Cup — can be tied to one's identity, be it by blood, upbringing or otherwise. Jacob Fara, an employee at New York-based soccer retailer Upper 90, better describes the jersey as a symbol of pride and culture.
The soccer jersey's all-purpose design lowers the barrier to entry in that you don't need to know the team whose moniker you're wearing, or even the sport itself, to get involved. In addition to representing cultural pride and belonging, Cygielman sees that Umbro customers turn to soccer fan apparel to connect them with the sport's lifestyle, even if they've never played, or watched, a day in their life. The exhilaration of simply donning a jersey is palpable.
Soccer apparel sits at another interesting intersection within luxury fashion: It's both streetwear and sportswear. Accessible and exclusive. Comfortable and utilitarian. "There are layers to it, so it fits really well into what you're seeing a lot of the designers doing today in sportswear," says Cygielman. "The whole thing really just fits with what's been happening overall in fashion culture in the last couple years.
Unexpectedly, the resale market is both thriving and flooded with soccer goods. At press time, one search of "F.C.," or "football club" on men's e-marketplace Grailed produced 413 items, including a $400 F.C. Real Bristol reversible bomber.
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