Football shirts aren’t flattering. They just aren’t. They’re cool — that’s for sure. We have three years’ worth of “blokecore” evidence to prove it, as well as a wealth of statistics. This month alone, Depop has seen a whopping 151 per cent increase in searches for football shirts as momentum builds during the Women’s Euros 2025.
But owning a football shirt has never been a straight shot to stylishness. It’s all about how you style it. Or, in this year’s case, how you customise it.
The shirred football shirt — a tighter, ruched version of the traditional football shirt, almost as if it’s been on the wrong end of a hair crimper — is the new go-to fashion staple for women’s football fans.
Take it from Elle Smith, the model and former Miss USA, who was seen sporting one while supporting her girlfriend Leah Williamson in the stands on Tuesday. Her T-shirt was crafted by none other than fashion designer Conner Ives, the main instigator of the shirred football trend.
Ives’s reconstituted shirred football tops make use of vintage football jerseys sourced from across the UK, handpicked by his studio team. The shirred football shirts are stitched with elastic thread, creating the crinkled effect. Ives never sells the same shirt twice, making each one entirely unique.
First introduced for SS24, Ives’s football tops became an immediate hit amongst the fashion community, who bought them up in droves. They are routinely sold out on the website, with fresh drops selling out faster than a Chloe Kelly penalty, even with the £240 price point.
Ives is no stranger to a viral fashion moment: his Protect The Dolls tee, which raises money for US-based charity Trans Lifeline, became a sell-out success after it was worn by a slew of celebrities, including Pedro Pascal, Tilda Swinton, Addison Rae, Troye Sivan.
The popularity follows on from a wider preference for ruching, which can make an outfit flattering without the revealing nature of normal bodycon. Peachy Den, known for its shirred co-ord sets and gingham prints, went from a low-key, up-and-coming London brand to full-on sensation when it released its Cindy Set in 2023. Bolstered by celebrity support from the likes of Olivia Dean and Raye, Peachy Den’s shirred products have maintained popularity all the way into 2025.
Shirring also provides a femininity assist for football shirts, which often look quite poorly fitted.
Although the reworked football merch doesn’t stop here. Last year, England winger Bukayo Saka’s girlfriend Tolami Benson made waves with a custom leather jacket she wore to an England game against Serbia that featured the England colours and her boyfriend’s first-ever Arsenal jersey number, 87.
The jacket, especially crafted for Benson by London-based designer Antonia Bronze, caused such a stir that Vogue claimed she was “reviving WAG fever”, while Instagram commenters dubbed her “WAG of the year”.
Since then, Bronze’s custom jackets have become a cult item among the football community. Bronze has been commissioned by Leah Williamson, Alex Scott, Micah Richards and Yasmin Bergkamp (daughter of Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp, who wore a jacket version of her dad’s iconic burgundy O2 kit). The popularity has now seeped out of football stadiums and into other A-list circles, with celebrities like Peggy Gou and Idris Elba donning their own personalised Antonia Bronze jackets.
And you don’t even have to be handy with a needle and thread — or have the thousands of pounds needed to purchase custom or designer garments — to take part in the trend. Upcycling apps like Loom let you send your old football jerseys to a designer and request a style refresh, often for a fraction of the price. Resale sites like Vinted and Depop are full of already reworked items, ready to be purchased.
When football fashion is suddenly so commonplace, customisation is king
