Football & 80s Casual Clothing

The look that replaced the club shirt. Football casual clothing is what British football fans wore when they stopped wearing replica kits. From the late 1970s, supporters following Liverpool around Europe came home with Italian and French sportswear that was not sold in Britain, and by the early 1980s the look had spread from Merseyside and Manchester to grounds across the country. The Face magazine put a name to it in 1983: casuals.

The 80s look. The style peaked in the mid-1980s, which is why many people call it 80s casual clothing: colour-blocked track tops, Lacoste and Fred Perry polos, pastel and argyle golf knits, straight jeans and box-fresh trainers, worn with small logos and bold colours. Our guide to 80s casual clothing goes through it piece by piece.

The terrace brands. The labels have hardly changed. Sergio Tacchini and FILA track tops, Lacoste and Fred Perry polo shirts, Ellesse tees and Lyle & Scott knitwear are still the core of a casual wardrobe, with Marshall Artist for the modern, technical end of the look and Clarks Originals Wallabees and Desert Treks when trainers will not do.

How to wear it. Pick one statement piece, usually a track top or a jacket, and keep everything around it quiet: a polo shirt or plain tee, straight jeans and clean shoes. Small logos, good fabrics and colours that work together matter more than anything loud. For the story behind each label, read our guide to the football casuals brands.