As fashion trends come and go, a prevalent one that one can see all over the globe is jerseys. The popularity of wearing jerseys has increased rapidly amongst Gen Z, specifically soccer jerseys. These jerseys are being styled with loose mom jeans or cargos. With the intensity of summer weather, skirts and jorts are being worn alongside these tops as well. Sometimes the jerseys are worn the way they’re sold and sometimes they’re embellished and styled, like tucking them in for example.
Soccer jerseys are mostly associated with street fashion and athleisure. While they can be viewed as a microtrend, I believe that due to the consistency of jersey fashion over the years, they won’t disappear anytime soon and instead will adapt to evolving trends. The flexibility of jerseys is demonstrated by Premier League WAG Tolami Benson. Bukayo Saka, the girlfriend of an Arsenal player, was seen wearing a long-sleeve lace top under her jersey. Her fashion choice received a mountain of praise that showed innovation with the trend.
While this trend is still adapting to modern-day fashion culture, jerseys have been around for generations. At the end of the day this is a uniform, used by athletes of all cultures to simply identify team affiliation (with this article’s focus being on soccer players). In 1870, athletes started to dress in various colors in lieu of all white due to public demand. Gradually, soccer uniforms changed to incorporate a multitude of designs. Other soccer gear such as shin guards became a part of the color coordination. This leads us to the current renditions of jerseys we have in the 20th-century. With time, these jerseys will change as well. In fashion, the more establishment a piece has in fashion history, the more worth it typically has. This makes jerseys a staple of high fashion, predating its use in street fashion. Still, I believe its total value has less to do with its seniority and more with its representation of pure spirit.
Soccer legends have first and foremost shown off their uniforms with love, establishing its significance. Diego Maradona, an Argentinian soccer legend considered one of the best players in history, noted that “giving everything to the shirt” is a player’s main purpose. Maradona displayed this during the World Cup in 1986. As captain and star player, his performance was masterful. The jersey he wore in the quarter-final gained traction to amass value quickly and be sold for $9.28 million in a London auction. When associated with success, individual jerseys can gain more merit.
As the popularity of soccer grew, the concept of a jersey gained admiration along with it. Not only did players wear jerseys, fans started to wear them casually as a pledge of loyalty to their teams. Fans wear jerseys to games to portray an image of unity. This does well for morale as it’s a visual of support. Jerseys connect players to each other, but also extends the bond to their supporters. The energy this creates not only increases the work ethic of players, but makes stadiums more intense.
The history of soccer jerseys has cemented their importance as more than just regular clothing. Now with the rise of thrifting, jerseys have been given a new life in fashion. The way they represent both history and passion not only gives them value now, but the ability to have value in the future. We won’t see soccer jerseys leave our fashion magazines and fit checks anytime soon. We will see them change and grow, the way they always have.