Style and soccer mix for Agolde and Associated capsule collection

Agolde and soccer publication Associated’s exclusive spring capsule poses an interesting question: Could soccer be the next form of inspiration for fashion’s styling cues?

The magazine’s creative director Allan Kennedy had already been working with Agolde on styling before beginning talks for a full-on collaboration between the two brands.

“When I think about the whole British casual and football casual, which was so prevalent in the Seventies and Eighties, it’s still cool and I think it resonates with our Agolde customer,” said Agolde creative director Karen Phelps. “It felt right with Agolde, which is for that younger, cooler customer and also offers a line of casualwear that has a real point of reference.”

Associated has built a following by covering not just the athletes of the sport within its pages but the entire base of followers, with a keen eye on style.

“In the Eighties, football casuals were the mods of their day and fashion was a huge part of the culture,” Kennedy said. “As a former casual myself, I was heavily influenced by that period and Associated magazine is something of an homage to that era. I was struck by the mix and match of streetwear and sportswear as players went to and from the games. It was an authentic style that nobody was trying to cover and I figured it would be a great inclusion for a magazine to combine soccer and style.”

The 17-piece collection draws its inspiration from European soccer uniforms. The pieces retail from $58 to $278 and are a mix of unisex jackets, shorts, shirts and tracksuits. A second collaboration between the two is in the works.

Unisex sizing is something the denim label has been dabbling with for the past few seasons, Phelps said, and it couldn’t be more on trend with how people are dressing themselves currently.

“The whole idea of oversized is prevalent in the marketplace at the moment. You can also easily size down even for the guys so that it does feel more like a true Seventies or Eighties football casual aesthetic,” Phelps said. “It’s how people style themselves today and offers another level of uniqueness.”