Vanessa Hsiuh in her Victoria Beckham bodysuit. ‘It’s just so camp. Pop culture just doesn’t ‘pop culture’ in the way it used to,” she said. Photograph: Andy Hall/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Vanessa Hsiuh in her Victoria Beckham bodysuit. ‘It’s just so camp. Pop culture just doesn’t ‘pop culture’ in the way it used to,” she said. Photograph: Andy Hall/The Guardian Fashion Back to the future as young England fans embrace fashion of the noughties For many watching their team beat Norway at a south London nightclub the look was as important as the game
Prefer the Guardian on Google T he Carpet Shop nightclub in Peckham, south London, is ordinarily packed with rowdy crowds at the weekend. But Saturday night’s liveliness was not congregated around the DJ on the dancefloor, the crowd was at the sold-out venue for England’s victorious quarter-final game at the 2026 World Cup, and the young spectators were there for the fashion as much as they were for the football.
Luke Grandon and Mattia Guarnera, both 27, are “massive” football fans, and their love for the game is expressed in their outfits. “I have a massive collection of vintage football shirts,” said Guarnera, wearing a white polo shirt with “LOVE” printed on the back from a limited-edition World Cup-themed collaboration between Lyle & Scott and the British artist Reuben Dangoor.
“The spectacle is the football, but I’m also interested in the visuals that come alongside it,” said Guarnera, who designed the shirt Grandon was wearing – a white three lions jersey spray-painted with the design of a woman’s face.
View image in fullscreen Luke Grandon (left) and Mattia Guarnera. Photograph: Andy Hall/The Guardian Others are even less concerned about football, but have been following the World Cup more for the style and the camaraderie. Sophie Whilby, 27, does not ordinarily follow the sport but tunes into the games “when it makes sense for me”.
“It’s all about the atmosphere for me and the built environment that comes with the culture,” said Whilby, wearing an England jersey from the Palestinian streetwear brand FreePLTN . “It’s just a fun way to rep your country, every England game I try to wear something new.”
View image in fullscreen Sophie Whilby wears her Free Gaza top. Photograph: Andy Hall/The Guardian During this year’s World Cup, there has been a resurgence of style from the noughties. In particular, the aesthetics of “Wag culture” and the infamous antics in Baden-Baden, Germany, during the 2006 World Cup, have grabbed the attention of an online generation thanks to social media algorithms and the 20-year trend cycle.
“I love it. Victoria Beckham, Coleen Rooney, the little dogs in the big bags, the blow drys and the fake tan,” said Priya Patel, 31, wearing an authentic vintage Michael Owen shirt from the early 2000s that she had made into a crop top. “I remember watching when I was little, this is quite nostalgic.”
Patel said the new generation of wives and girlfriends for this year’s England team had sparked her interest in the tournament. “Tolami Benson [fiancee of Bukayo Saka] is holding a flag for the Wags,” she said.
Martyna Kaczynska and Indiana Meager – both 19 – were not even alive in 2006, but echoed the sentiment that the Wags of old and new had inspired their enthusiasm for the game. “I saw a photo of Declan Rice’s girlfriend on Instagram, and she looked amazing,” said Kaczynska.
View image in fullscreen Indiana Meager and Martyna Kaaczynska. Photograph: A…