Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the selected European sides. Existing as a separate subculture is the “Ultras,” a collective of die-hard fans renowned for their fanatical support. While at first glance behavioral tendencies would point towards the use of banners and harmless flares at games, certain Ultra groups advocate nationalist, racist, and anti-Semitic views. In addition, selected groups have even been known to organize mass ultra-on-ultra brawls, filming and posting their exploits on social media. While the ultras and casuals both wear the same brands, it’s an important distinction to remember that a few bad apples don’t spoil the bunch. While there are instances of violence among these groups, some are just members for the sake of being passionate about both the sport of football and their chosen clubs.
In the modern era, casual culture is still strong, particularly among those who first embraced it during its early days. Social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram have allowed like-minded casual heads to connect and form existing communities, continuing with part of the traditions now set around 45 years ago. As time goes by, the wider fashion world is also starting to reinterpret typical casual trends, for good and for bad depending on who you ask.
Take the revival of adidas Sambas, for example. What was once a trainer worn widely on the terraces of football grounds everywhere has now found its place scattered across both the streetwear and high-fashion realms. You can partly credit this adoption due to recent collaborations between adidas and luxury brand Wales Bonner. By reinterpreting the classic Samba shape, you can attribute Wales Bonner for managing to bring the shoe back to the forefront of modern fashion.
With the relationship between fashion and football seemingly growing closer by the year, it almost poses the question of where casual culture will fit in. Will we continue to see common tropes adopted by blokecore and repurposed for high-fashion purposes? Or will casual culture ultimately fizzle out back into obscurity? The truth is, only time will tell, but considering the culture is already over four decades deep, we can’t see it disappearing anytime soon.
For more similar to this, check out “We Asked Football Casuals What They Think Of the Current Terrace Sneaker Trend”