Unpacking the historical and cultural forces behind fashion’s burgeoning obsession with the UK. In the year of King Charles’s coronation, Britain also commemorates the seventy-fifth anniversary of Windrush, the generation...
In the year of King Charles’s coronation, Britain also commemorates the seventy-fifth anniversary of Windrush, the generation of Caribbean people who arrived in the UK between 1948 and 1973 and suffered at the hands of Britain’s unethical immigration system; it’s safe to say that this is a country with a complicated cultural identity. From classical performances to garage raves, British culture runs the gamut from historic traditions to fresh new perspectives. This spread is peppered with pithy cultural archetypes that are, at least on the surface, recognizable to an international audience, but on a deeper level, wholly unfamiliar. The ability to reference and explore these famous subcultural phenomena is, perhaps, what makes English sartorial history such a central focus on FW23 runways.
Although this trend asserted itself in FW23, the writing has been on the wall for several seasons. From the unbridled success of Wales Bonner’s exploration of silhouettes like the adidas Samba and retro tracksuits to TikTok’s blokecore revolution, in which American 20-somethings took passionately to a style popularized by fashion-hating football fans, British style has proven to be an attractive force even for international audiences.
If FW23 presentations were anything to go by, this trend is showing no signs of slowing. So, before you don a kilt and a Stone Island jacket for a trip to the pub, make sure you know your punks from your blokes.
BLOKES
To the dismay of many Brits, one of the most prolific TikTok style trends of the last few years has been blokecore: the art of dressing like a bloke. Think vintage football tops, jeans, and adidas footwear. While 2020 may have been your local TikTok star’s first taste of this cocktail, it’s a subculture deeply entrenched in British life. Sure, Elijah Wood was reluctantly welcomed into the world by the scene’s chosen one, Danny Dyer, in 2005’s seminal film Green Street, but the roots of this culture stretch back decades before that.
Since the late ‘80s, England has been the home of Casuals, British lads who started traveling the world (Western Europe) to watch football, picking up—lawfully or otherwise—gear in these new cities. The clothing they brought shaped the exclusive aesthetic of the subculture, with European labels like C.P. Company, Stone Island, Lacoste, and more becoming commonplace signifiers of a lifestyle beyond just watching football.
While classic names like Fred Perry, adidas, and the aforementioned European brands continue to do what they’ve always done—only now for a younger customer less interested in football violence than Instagram reshares—some designers are putting a more luxurious spin on the style. The new British design language for luxury is typified in Grace Wales Bonner’s retro palettes and the details inspired by her British-Jamaican heritage. You see the new language as well in Martine Rose’s bold proportions, gathered seams, and generally subversive perspective.
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