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From Drake to Dua Lipa: How the Football Shirt Dominated Pop Culture

Once confined to the stands and match-day beer gardens, the football kit has become a fashion staple, transcending the sport to take on a life of its own.

By Adam Christopher Smith

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Created in partnership with Rizla

The rumors that Justin Bieber was wearing a Swindon Town shirt ahead of his headline set at Coachella shows how far football kits have traveled. Once they were only for the terraces, now they don’t look out of place on the world’s biggest stages.

The pop star has been seen sporting Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Chelsea shirts, so while the Swindon top was unfortunately just a lookalike, it’s clear the humble football kit has now taken on a life of its own, which goes far beyond the sport itself.

Dua Lipa posing with a River Plate jersey, New York mayor Zohran Mamdani showing off his love of Arsenal, rapper Offset dressing his son in a Southampton top. In recent years, we’ve seen countless celebrities and public figures wearing football shirts.

Over the last decade, replica kits have infiltrated every aspect of culture, from music to fashion, politics to film—or as Neal Heard, author, historian, and founder of fashion label Lover’s F.C,........

© Vice