Ten stylish World Cup fashion items and accessories to show your love for the beautiful game
With World Cup fever heating up, it’s time to demonstrate your love for the game, whether with a shirt, your national colours, a fine watch or a bag. Here are 10 ideas to inspire your next match outfit
The wait is finally over – the first games of the 2018 World Cup in Russia have been played and soccer fever has everyone in its firm grasp.
The kit
There is one fashion no-no in the world of soccer. You can wear a “full kit” on the field of play, but you can’t wear it off it. That is, if you’re going to wear the shirt down the pub, you can’t wear the shorts. Absolutely not. Still, on the pitch it’s fine, and if the tournament is inspiring you to get on the pitch then you can look quite nifty with this combo of Emporio Armani shorts (HK$960) and shirt (HK$1,400).
Emporio Armani, Chater House, Central
The case
Time was when the very best luxury brands would avoid any sporting connection. But the beautiful game is undeniably cool nowadays and even Louis Vuitton has caught the bug. The Parisian trunk maker is making the official cases for the World Cup trophy and the match ball, but has also made a small collection of soccer-related leather goods such as this pochette (HK$9,500) that will appeal to the more well-heeled fan.
Louis Vuitton, Pacific Place, Admiralty
The watch
Football and Hublot have become synonymous over the last decade or more and it’s no surprise that the Swiss watchmaker is the official timekeeper for the tournament.
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To mark the occasion Hublot has created the Big Bang Referee 2018 Fifa World Cup Russia (HK$38,900), to give its full unwieldy name, a limited edition 49mm titanium-cased smartwatch that features the 32 flags of the competing teams on the dial.
Hublot, Century Square, Central
The combo
Panini stickers, player trading cards, those weird things that McDonald’s and Coca-Cola dish out – the World Cup is all about collecting. If you want to collect some limited edition gear that’s a bit more upmarket then check out Paul Smith’s collaboration with New Balance that includes the nifty 576 Trainers (HK$2,790) and a fancy leather ball (HK$1,290) to go with it.
New Balance x Paul Smith collection is exclusive to Paul Smith Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui
The T-shirt
This has to be something from Kent & Curwen. The heritage English brand was more traditionally associated with rugby and cricket, but that all changed when David Beckham became part owner and the face of the brand. The former England captain’s style can be seen in this vintage-looking Oakley sports jersey (HK$950).
Kent & Curwen, Times Square, Causeway Bay
The track bottoms
Sadly, given Hong Kong’s time zone, most of the important kick-off times will be in the early hours of the morning. And when you’re watching a match at 2am or 3am, the first thing you have to be is comfortable.
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There’s nothing better than track bottoms, and few better options than the cotton and wool blend track bottoms from Ermenegildo Zegna (HK$10,600).
Ermenegildo Zegna, IFC, Central
The track top
The avant-garde designer Alexander Wang isn’t someone known for sportswear, but since he linked up with Adidas he’s been dropping collections that have proved a hit with fashionistas and streetwear devotees. The AW track top (HK$1,999) is the perfect thing for a couple of hours of late-night viewing.
Adidas Originals Concept Store, Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay
The polo
Fifa, the game’s world governing body, is famously litigious when it comes to brands making money off its premier tournament, but the traditional workaround has been for brands to release country-themed collections. Fred Perry’s country-related series of its famous polo top (HK$899) is a must for the fashionable fan and the Brazil top is particularly eye-catching.
Fred Perry, Times Square, Causeway Bay
The shorts
Doing country-themed collections is one way to go to jump on the soccer bandwagon but another is simply to put images of match balls on your products. Vilebrequin is taking the crafty route with its new swim shorts collection (from HK$1,100 to HK$2,000) that features octopus (a nod to the mystic score-predicting octopus Paul from the World Cup in 2014) and the obligatory balls of course.
Vilebrequin, IFC, Central
The ball
After watching Messi, Ronaldo and co razzle and dazzle with their silky skills, you might feel the sudden urge to kick a ball about. It’s going to happen. Why fight it? To prepare for that eventuality you might want to keep a leather ball handy, and this vintage gem from Suitsupply (HK$599) is just the ticket.
Suitsupply, Ice House Street, Central
