Jules Koundé and his skirt break footballer stereotypes

In certain cultures of Eastern countries, skirts are part of men's clothing and sometimes even constitute traditional or religious attire, such as the sarong in South Asia or the djellaba in the Middle East and North Africa. However, in Europe, this is still far from the case. Except for Scotland and its iconic kilt, skirts are still mostly worn by women here, and if a man dares to wear one, instead of receiving compliments on his beautiful legs, he is more likely to receive sideways glances or even insulting comments. But Jules Koundé, defender of the national football team, doesn't care about these tacit rules of French society. True to himself and his style, far from the clichés of the average footballer, he is once again making a splash in both the fashion and sports worlds, thanks to (or because of) the black skirt with zippers he chose to wear upon his return to Clairefontaine for the start of the national team's training camp.

The bottine gate

Yet this is not the first time the French team defender's fashion choices have stirred controversy. Last May, it was already the outfit he wore to Clairefontaine (or rather the shoes that brought him there) that set social media ablaze. The reason? The micro heel of a few centimeters under his boots, not excessively high, but just enough to irritate homophobes and misogynists online who did not hesitate to express their disapproval, all without any subtlety. However, these criticisms do not seem to affect their target, who responded with a very charismatic (and probably true) "You criticize, but you don't even have the budget to copy me".

Changing stereotypes among football players?

But while he keeps delivering looks always more colorful and stylish, playing with textures, volumes, and especially accessories, sharing them on his Instagram account between field photos, some of his colleagues are not to be outdone. It seems that more and more professional footballers are starting to break away from the beaten path in terms of style. Among them, we find the highly coveted Hector Bellerin, a Spanish player whose mullet and bad-boy tattoos have charmed more than one. He even released a capsule football clothing collection for Golf, the brand of American rapper Tyler the Creator. Jackson Irvine, an Australian player recognizable by his lion's mane, is also gaining popularity not just for his skilled passes, but also for his Pinterest-approved, trendy, and current looks, as well as the ones with a more vintage 80s twist. A small step for Koundé, Bellerin, and Irvine, one giant leap for the world of football and its clearly outdated clichés.

A potential entry of skirts into men's wardrobes?

The mini scandal of Koundé's skirt will probably be quickly forgotten once the haters find a new target on whom to let off steam, yet the La Liga player's fashion choice may well reappear more and more frequently, as it aligns with a trend recently embraced by top fashion insiders. One of the pioneers of men's skirts who needs no introduction is Jean-Paul Gaultier, who has been trying in vain to make the skirt a must-have in men's wardrobes since the 80s. More recently, Thom Browne has taken up the idea, notably with a Couture 2024 collection filled with both short and long skirts worn by men, which have almost become his trademark as they frequently appear in his collections. Some could also be found in the menswear FW24 collection by Fendi, designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi, granddaughter of the Maison's founders. The presence of skirts in men's collections proves that they are not objects of hypersexualization, but more importantly that no matter the codes and unsaid rules followed by ordinary mortals, fashion will never listen to them. As for Koundé, we can only wait with anticipation for his next appearance at the national team's headquarters, which he has turned into his podium, to discover the next unexpected look he will come up with.