Back to the future as young England fans embrace fashion of the noughties | Fashion

TThe Carpet Shop nightclub in Peckham, south London, is often packed with rowdy crowds at weekends. But Saturday night’s liveliness wasn’t centered around the DJ on the dance floor, the crowd was on the sold-out pitch for England’s 2026 World Cup quarter-final and the younger crowd were there for the fashion as much as the football.

Luke Grandon and Mattia Guarnera, both 27 years old, are “big” football fans and their love for football is reflected in their clothes. “I have a large collection of vintage football jerseys,” said Guarnera, wearing a white polo shirt with “LOVE” written on the back, from a limited-edition World Cup-themed collaboration between Lyle & Scott and British artist Reuben Dangoor.

“The show is football, but I’m also interested in the visuals that come with it,” said Guarnera, who designed the shirt Grandon wore; white jersey with three lions spray-painted with a design of a woman’s face.

Others are less interested in football but follow the World Cup more for the style and camaraderie. Sophie Whilby, 27, doesn’t normally follow sport but attends games “when it makes sense for me”.

“For me it’s all about the atmosphere and the built environment that comes with the culture,” said Whilby, who plays for the Palestinian streetwear brand’s England jersey. FreePLTN. “It’s a fun way to represent your country; I try to wear something new for every match in England.”

During this year’s World Cup, there has been a resurgence in style since the 2000s. The aesthetics and notorious antics of “Wag culture” in Baden-Baden, Germany, especially during the 2006 World Cup, captured the attention of a generation online thanks to social media algorithms and a 20-year trend cycle.

“I love this. Victoria Beckham, Coleen Rooney, little dogs in big bags, blow-dry and fake tan,” said Priya Patel, 31, wearing an authentic vintage Michael Owen shirt that she turned into a crop top in the early 2000s. “I remember watching it when I was little, it’s pretty nostalgic.”

Patel said this year’s England team had increased interest in the tournament from a new generation of wives and girlfriends. “Tolami Benson [fiancee of Bukayo Saka] “He carries a flag for Wags,” he said.

Martyna Kaczynska and Indiana Meager (both 19) weren’t even alive in 2006, but they echoed the sentiment that Jokes of the old and new inspired their enthusiasm for the game. “I saw a photo of Declan Rice’s girlfriend on Instagram and she looked amazing,” Kaczynska said.

“Sometimes I think the World Cup doesn’t include women,” Meager said. “Sometimes if you’re a big supporter, you can laugh at women, and it’s nice to play a nice role for women.”

In many ways, the outer courtyard where the quarter-final was shown on the big screen was like a gateway to 2006. People were taking selfies using pocket-sized digital cameras, wearing low-rise denim and vintage T-shirts with faded Pacha cherry logos, cans of Stella were flying into the air amid chants of “En-ger-land” and a remix of Kylie Minogue’s early 2006 hit Can’t Get You Out of My Head was blowing up. While everyone was dancing at halftime, voices blared from the speakers.

“This is total camp. Pop culture isn’t ‘pop culture’ like it used to be,” said Vanessa Hsiuh, 31, who wore a dress printed with a paparazzi picture of Victoria Beckham in the stands designed by the brand at the 2006 World Cup. Afta Youth. “I hate the British tabloids, but there was a real theater about lazing around that we don’t have anymore.”

Hsiuh said she was inspired by the TikTok fancams of Cheryl Cole and Victoria Beckham in their heyday. “It really resonated with the way I first accessed football. I’m more into the Wags than the actual players. But then I actually watched the game and now I’m into it,” said Hsiuh, whose favorite player on this year’s team is Jude Bellingham. “He’s also a really good actor, so I feel like I’m justified in liking him, but I really love him because I love his face,” he said.

While the style of the three lions logo and St George’s cross reflected the nostalgic sensibilities of the fashion-forward football fan, the right-wing, nationalist connotations carried by the logo were still accepted. For young England fans in south London, there was pride in the re-use of this emblem to represent a more inclusive national team.

“It has a lot of connotations. It was a pretty scary time for people of color, especially with the rise of the Reformation,” said Megan T, 33, who wore a vintage, pale blue Umbro three-lions jersey. “But in times like these, it’s nice to see black and brown people and people of different ethnic backgrounds taking pride in wearing these tops and having a very diverse football team.”

Grandon said: “I think we need to take it back and be proud of it. We’re in a time where we can bring it back. I’m proud to wear it.”