The UK has had it’s fair share of fashion-led subcultures. Arguably, this tendency dates to the 18th and 19th Century dandies, who either revelled in the strictures of ‘correct’ attire, or plumped for flamboyant, decadent dress, with a hint of gender confusion thrown in for good measure.

By the latter half of the 20th Century, the sartorial descendents of Beau Brummel and his ilk came in waves. 1950s Teds resurrected the Edwardian drape coats that gave them their name (a look revived in the 70s, filtered through Glam, or in its original form). The 1960s belonged to Mods, who morphed into Skin- and Suedeheads, and saw their sharp-suited tastes perrenially revived. Even Punk, whatever the protagonists might say about DIY, post-Winter of Discontent rage and anarchy, was a fashion movement first and foremost: just ask Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm MacLaren.

All these modes share common traits, regardless of the aesthetic - the clothes had to be expensive, they had to be ostentatious, they had to be immaculate, and they had to be worn first by working class young men. Given the high rate of fashion churn between the post-war period and the 1970s, it’s perhaps a surprise that the last great revolution in mens clothing was sparked sometime in 1977 and holds fast to this day - the Football Casual.

I think this has something to do with the brand. Where a Mod might wear any suit, as long as it adhered to the conventions of Italian tailoring, a Casual can’t wear any old tennis shirt: only Sergio Tachinni would do, or Fila, or Lacoste.

At the risk of offending some very scary hooligans who live in London, Casual began on Merseyside. First, when scallies from on and around the Scotland Road in Liverpool merged elements of Punk style with shades of David Bowie’s proto-glam, plus an odd attachment to drainpipe jeans and, of course, the wedge haircut. Then a little later - 1978-9 - scally supporters of Liverpool FC found themselves at a loose end in French and Italian city centres, thanks to their club’s European successes, and took the opportunity to acquire (or, more accurately, steal) sports- and causal-wear they knew fellow and rival supporters back home had no chance of finding.

Despite shifts in popularity over time, the brands favoured by the first casuals are those seen on every British high street today, whether it’s the European away match makes - Kappa, Lacoste, Ellesse, Sergio Tacchini - or brands adopted more recently - Burberry, Stone Island, Acquascutum - and not just on football fans. The seemingly permanent fetish for the early model Adidas trainers that can be seen on the feet of everyone from floppy-fringed indie kids to perfectly respectable middle-aged men began with the early Casual preference for Sambas, swiftly followed by Stan Smiths. That nice shower-proof cagoule you have in the wardrobe dates to Casual anoraks, originally worn over Pringle or Slazenger sweaters, often by Kappa, sometimes by Patrick. Admittedly, you don’t see many folk sporting Inega, Fiorruci or Lois nowadays, but they’re the exceptions that prove the rule.

This sartorial longevity is down to the brands, as much as it is to the enduring (admittedly distasteful) glamour of the well-turned-out football hooligan. To be a dandy, Mod, Punk or Skin involves an attention to detail shared by the Casual, but thanks to branding, that attention to detail can be reduced to a basic list of clothing manufacturers, rather than, to take Mods as an example, an in-depth understanding of the proper number of cuff-buttons and an eye for the correct width of tie. Of course, any old Casuals reading will disagree, as will their Burberry-capped and tracksuited contemporary followers, and they can reasonably cite the subtle differences of Casual attire from football club to football club (the London loyalty to Farah, say, or the short-lived fad for deerstalker hats in the North of England) but the fact remains that Casual was the first brand-led fashion movement to take hold in the UK, and it is branding that has made it last.

In case you’re wondering, when I got up this morning I put on a Sergio Tacchini sweater (in navy blue and red with white piping - mmmn!), dark grey cords and Diadora trainers. Hence this post.

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