Football&Fashion, the many red threads that link fashion and football
Footballers who discover themselves as models and fashion houses that design the wardrobes of famous football teams. The connection between fashion and football, which has grown over the last 30 years, is now an inextricable tangle, which is good for both parties.
Apparently distinct and distant, fashion and football are actually two worlds that often intertwine and contaminate each other , especially in the last thirty years. If for many decades, in fact, footballers have gained prominence (almost) only for their exploits on the pitch, since the end of the 90s many champions have also revealed themselves to be perfect models and influencers (when this term did not yet exist) . At the same time, the fashion sector has now learned to move within the universe of football clubs, forming partnerships and bringing its own professionalism to the fore. And this is how sportswear, from a purely technical topic, has transformed into a question of style.
Footballers as style icons
In the beginning it was David Beckham . The former English midfielder can rightly be considered the precursor of modern model footballers. In fact, with his impeccable style and his show-stopping physique, he was one of the first sporting icons to become popular on the catwalks . And in the years between the two millennia, together with his Spice wife Victoria, he gave life to one of the most photographed couples of the jet set. However, the list of eleven-a-side football champions that fashion has "taken possession of" is much longer. And inside there are real gems from the past, such as Hidetoshi Nakata , a Japanese star who in 2020 was chosen by Damiani as the face of his jewelry line and as the frontman of a humanitarian project . Moving on to more recent years, how can we not mention the omnipresent Cristiano Ronaldo , a model coveted by all manufacturers of men's underwear (and not only). The advent of social media, then, has opened the doors to a new generation of footballer-influencers , who reap fans and successes especially among the new generations. And this is how football risks producing more style icons than cinema.
Fashion takes the field
The connection between football and fashion, however, does not stop at the figure of footballers who have risen to the role of models. Indeed, the link between these two worlds is very profound, with fashion houses that have taken the field for a few years now, revolutionizing the canons of sportswear . In fact, if playing shirts are still a product entrusted to specialized companies, the rest of the wardrobe of the most famous teams frequently bears the signature of great international stylists. Any examples? Remaining in Italy, we can start from the latest announcement in chronological order: the partnership between Fendi and Roma . An agreement that follows the one signed by Emporio Armani with Napoli and the national team , by Moncler with Inter and by Harmont&Blaine with Milan . Furthermore, there are those who, like Dolce&Gabbana, presented numerous football-themed outfits during the last Milan Fashion Week, including them in the men's proposals for spring-summer 2023. The marriage between these two billionaire universes, therefore, is already a reality .
