Is Sports Merch the New Band Tee?
You're reading Shopper: Highsnobiety's bulletin on what’s taking up headspace from the marketplace. Below is an edit of June 15's newsletter, in which Shopping Editor Max Migowski grapples with the fashions of fan fervor. Subscribe here, or head to the Shopping tab for more recs.
Blokecore Revisited
Lest we forget, fashion is the business of bandwagons, wherein the earliest riders are as crucial to the business as those who hop aboard down the line, if even the former disapprove. Look no further than the recent Knicks fever that swept New York and the 2026 FIFA World Cup for proof of this exact paradigm, where we’re seeing social media awash with memes decrying late adopters to varying degrees of seriousness. On one end of the bandwagoner spectrum is the wide wonderful world of pleasurably “inauthentic” bootleg merch; on the other lies Taylor Swift’s and the HAIM sisters’ cornball coordinated tees. There’s a lot of cultural capital in looking like a serious fan, even if you aren’t actually one.
Naturally, sports culture, partakers, and related consumer goods have always been interconnected. adidas, of course, comes to mind as a prominent, dominant force within this realm, offering both casual merchandise and proper gear categories bridging the gap between spectacle vs. spectators; apparel vs. actual performance gear; the idol vs. their idolizers. The brand's Samba-spanning revival of its faux-denim Team USA jersey , for instance, is arguably among the best rollouts to hit the field this year — and very on the pulse of a general craving for nostalgia in the vein of a niche vintage band tee.
But now the entire luxury sector and its tastemakers have noticeably upped the ante (and sophistication) of their presence with every major sporting event. In fact, we've long moved past the point of just, say, Rolex ambassadorships in tennis; we’re now regularly seeing developments like Louis Vuitton snapping up figure skater (slash Chrome Hearts stan) Alysa Liu following her gold-medal Olympics performance; the NFL employing a fashion editor to dial in players’ tunnel ‘fits and off-duty appearances; or A$AP Rocky sitting courtside in a satin Saint Laurent suit.
The growing number of thematic high-low clashes is where it gets especially interesting though, as in the case of Nike and Jacquemus’ joint France kits (that's right!); or NYC's First Lady Rama Duwaji wearing a custom fan tee-tapestry dress; or Dover Street Market’s online archival Word Cup merch pop-up, which sold out in mere minutes.
Now, upon factoring in all of the more community-attuned, IYKYK releases à la New Balance x Lack of Guidance and PUMA x Salehe Bembury, or recalling previous terrace and capital-F-fashion crossovers via Acne Studios’ viral soccer long-sleeve from a few seasons ago (and the olden days of Demna-era Balenciaga's Eurotrash), one concludes that fashion’s sports obsession is far from new. It is, however, at an all-time high.
When even Zara and Hollister are selling quasi-replicas of team wardrobes from bygone championships, it means the standard for being a “true” fan will only become higher. We’re fast approaching "name three Nirvana songs…"-level of fandom purity testing — "name a player who's not either captain or married to an equally famous WAG." The real game will be seeing which brands can pass muster over the long haul.
Open Tabs: Everything We've Got Our Eyes On Right Now
If you're like me and sick of all the penny loafers everywhere, check out A Kind Of Guise's Fano slippers. Yeah, no worries, you're welcome, that's what I'm here for!
Elsewhere, the Otzo clog by UGG is a surprisingly convincing alternative to those sweaty Boston mules you've probably been sporting for three summers in a row now.
Bottega Veneta's Orbit sneaker never left our orbit. And certainly not in this colorway!
I personally know folks who've bought too-small Barbour coats on purpose to achieve that cropped effect, when all they would've had to do was hunt down the Spey model.
Kaptain Sunshine's ultra-thin, silk-gabardine chore jacket seriously raises the bar for warm weather outerwear.
Wide-legged pants are COS’ specialty, one can't deny, and this khaki pair with the pocket and belt details is no exception. Its relaxed boxy tee and purist canvas lace-ups hit a nerve, too
These simple-cut, thigh-hitting shorts work as workout bottoms and for regular everyday wear just the same, courtesy of Lululemon.
To commemorate her recent Pitti Uomo debut in Florence last week, you should invest in these gorgeous Simone Rocha… well, let's also call ‘em shorts.
While on the topic of odd pant-lengths: Not sure who could pull off these KAPITAL culottes, but I sure am hoping someone out there reading this will try!
Oh, wait? You thought we'd send out a newsletter on sports merch-y fashion and not plug our very own, football-themed Highsnobiety x Umbro capsule? Come on now!
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