Football’s prominence in the fashion sphere, and vice versa, is nothing new. For decades, footballers have been style icons and terraces have influenced streetwear trends. But as we reach the mid-2020s, the line separating the pitch from the runway has blurred and there is a sense that a fourth wall between the two ostensibly unconnected worlds has been broken.

Vintage football shirts, track jackets and shell suits have long been go-to pieces for ‘blokecore’ subscribers, but increasingly we are seeing an almost unfathomable permeation into the high-fashion space. When you really think about it, it is absolutely mental that models are walking at Paris Fashion Week wearing football shirts designed by the likes of Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and Acne Studios, but such has been the surge in the aesthetic’s popularity that barely a runway show goes by without a model wearing something football-inspired.

In 2025, experimental, football-inspired footwear is becoming increasingly normalised. This is fashion’s trickle-down effect in action, with the concept going from top designers, to runway shows, to being reproduced in various forms for the high street. It’s undoubtedly a boon for manufacturers like Nike and adidas, who had previously been pigeonholed as ‘sportswear only’ and were outsiders looking in on the exclusive high-fashion world.

March brought Nike’s hotly-anticipated reboot of its Total 90 silo - a cultural phenomenon that swept the UK in the early 2000s, transcending the boots, kits and balls that followed an instantly-recognisable template. The Total 90 III was arguably the most memorable and iconic football boot the sportswear giant produced in the T90 era, and the slow-dripped relaunch generated plenty of hype for an updated version potentially coming to the pitch.

Samuel Falzone, a New Jersey-based designer who reworks vintage football boots and astros, spoke to GOAL Editions to give his take on the phenomenon. “There's so many trends within footwear, but a rise of slimmer, more low-profile shoes seem to be what a lot of people are looking for,” he tells us. “Honestly, the shape and silhouette of football boots and astros are so in line aesthetically with the trend. And in a post-sneaker dominated world, there is a familiarity and ease of transition with these styles.”

However, Falzone doesn’t view the resurgence of reissue in a wholly positive light. “I love that old retro styles are being dug up and resurfacing everywhere,” he says. “But at the same time, there's not much priority on new innovations and there’s also a consumer neglect for new designs, to be honest.”

Falzone now finds himself on the crest of this wave, having started out as a hobbyist. “Initially, I was reworking my own personal collection of shoes that needed to be repaired, and doing so made me look at shoes with a whole new lens,” he says. “Older football boots work well in my work due to them being primarily leather, this guarantees longevity.”

If you thought vintage football shirts were as far as football’s influence on fashion would go, the past weeks and months have proven otherwise. The sport is now informing style from head to toe, reaching new and unprecedented heights in the fashion world. These days, you’re just as likely to see someone in a ‘90s football jersey, trackies and T90 astros walking through the streets of Soho as you are to spot them on the pitch or in the park.

With footwear checked off, we have truly reached the final frontier of this niche crossover-turned-cultural phenomenon. The only thing that remains is for people to start wearing goalie gloves, shinpads or actual studs for fashion. Never say never.