Kitting Out a Casual

Casual fashions on the football terraces were lifted from the stylish piazzas and boutiques of European cities, spotted when fans went to away games. The hot spots were France and Italy where names such as Cerruti, Fila and Ellesse were bought by the bag load. Travelling that bit further for their fashion has always been the way of the casual, making it a hard scene to keep up with. This was a time before sports shops lined every high street and Casuals had to make the move into stores which stocked mountaineering and heavy duty sportswear, such as Millets. JD Sports were the first brand to wake up to the new Casual craze and grew successfully into an enduring and relevant company, which fulfilled every casual's dream.

When designer names such as Giorgio Armani became the next craze on the casual scene, young streetwise football fans were finding themselves walking through the door of the nation's boutiques, much to the shock and distaste of the staff.