The fashion weeks have transformed into football weeks

Exactly one year has passed since Wales Bonner used the stage of Paris Fashion Week to unveil the home and away uniforms of the Jamaica National Football Team in collaboration with adidas. This historic moment will be etched in the memory of both fashion weeks and the football world. It was a pivotal moment that clearly indicated that discussing Blokecore as a passing trend would make no sense. We were witnessing the beginning of something much bigger, a reality confirmed almost 365 days later with the conclusion of Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, ready to make way for couture week. The frenetic days of January, now behind us, taught us that football cannot and will not be a trivial influence in the fashion system. The undisputed stars of the runways were football jerseys, and among the celebrities in the front row of major fashion shows, many footballers found their place, perhaps more than usual. Special thanks are due to two former footballers for creating the most iconic scenes of January's fashion month: Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho.

Zizou and Ronaldinho: When Athletes Trump Designers

Ronaldinho walked the runway for KidSuper, wearing a T-shirt featuring his face paired with a fur coat of memorable fashion. This unexpected and picturesque appearance heightened the well-known connection between Colm Dillane and R10. In what seemed like a Zoolander worthy runway, Ronaldinho's "simple" presence managed to create excitement not only for football enthusiasts but also for those who may have never watched a football match, discovering in Ronaldinho a personality perfectly suited to make KidSuper's show more accessible and enjoyable. Moving on to football's golden players, Zinedine Zidane reaffirmed his decade-long collaboration with Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, appearing at the presentation of the brand's POUR HOMME line. Needless to say, even though he didn't walk the runway, Zizou's face, adorned with technical pants and a blazer, was captured by many cameras present at the show.

Namesake, BOTTER, KidSuper and Louis Vuitton

Football took center stage in the collections of Namesake and BOTTER, albeit to a lesser extent. Among the two brands, BOTTER seems to have dedicated itself more to the cause: during the Dark Waters show, it collaborated with Reebok to create an overshirt inspired by the design of a long-sleeve football jersey, sneakers resembling football cleats with lace covers, and a jacket reminiscent of those typically worn by football coaches (to cite an example, Arsène Wenger). Unlike BOTTER, Namesake opted for a different approach, focusing mainly on the creation of jerseys, some of which feature a logo reminiscent of the silhouette of Umbro - perhaps a mere coincidence. The aforementioned KidSuper couldn't miss paying homage to the presence of Ronaldinho, presenting - of course - football jerseys on the runway with the player's name on the back, leaving no detail to chance. In fact, on both color variations of the jerseys, the 'Ronaldinho 10' stitching appears on the front, reminiscent of the font used for Dinho's line launched in 2008, R10. 

Turning the page and going back almost a week, the front rows of the Louis Vuitton show were invaded by world-class footballers, mainly French or affiliated with Paris Saint-Germain. Courtois, Kurzawa, Donnarumma, Verratti, Umtiti attended the show at Jardin d'Acclimatation to witness the western-inspired looks conceived by Pharrell Williams. 

Prototypes and a Glimpse into the Future

Prototypes is a Swiss brand founded by Laura Beham and Callum Pidgeon, former designers at VETEMENTS, the minds behind most of the outfits worn by Bianca Censori and Kanye West in the past year. Although the brand did not showcase during this "fashion month," it presented the Series 06 collection. This collection was created by upcycling football items such as tracksuits and jerseys. The purpose of this approach is to communicate the concept of uniform through sportswear clothing. The brand chose not to make significant changes to the old items used: logos of PUMA and Umbro are still present, as well as that of Lotto, which appears on the training shirt of Borussia Moenchengladbach - the same one worn by Travis Scott a few months ago.

If not long ago, football was a means used by fashion to reach a wide audience, it seems that now the situation is reversed. Football has become not only an essential element in service to fashion but also a facet of fashion that the audience expects to see in action during fashion weeks, increasingly resembling true football weeks.