FOREIGN STOCKISTS

We continue to spread the word about the 80s Casual culture with more visitors than ever visiting the blog and our website from around the globe. Orders this month for Books, T-Shirts and Clothing have come in from Alexandroupoli Greece http://thecasualfactory.com/, 

Moscow Russia http://www.turbocolor.ru/, Warsaw Poland http://www.ultrastreet.pl/, Budapest Hungary http://www.casualbp.hu/ 

and a new Store opening soon in Osaka Japan.

The '80s Casuals' sub-culture has always held a fascination for supporters throughout Europe with the significant element of our fashion being adopted and merged with the European Terrace and Ultra style.

Top two Pics show Casual Store in Budapest Hungary and the bottom two pics show one of our early European Stockists from 6 years ago, Coolness in Milan Italy http://www.coolnessmilano.com/.

NEW T-SHIRT DESIGN - THE SMITHS

30 Years on from The Smiths formation in Manchester, we still await them to re-form to give those unable to see them in the 80s the chance to see why critics hail them as one of the most important bands to emerge from the Independent music scene.

As a 30th celebration we bring you the Salford Lads Club as a homage to Stephen Wright's iconic photograph from the inside sleeve of 'The Queen is Dead' Album. That photo now has pride of place in the National Portrait Gallery.

We have used a young graphic designer whose work caught our eye in a Stockists Store. Paul has his own label called Art of War and some of his work is available from Ran in Liverpool and Manchester plus from his own website http://www.artofwarclothing.com/default.aspx

The Salford Lads Club T-Shirt should be in Stores by early May.

BRADFORD CITY GENT T-SHIRT

An-X on Sunbridge Road in Bradford have an exclusive design coming soon. The Bradford City Gent is going on tour to the Euros with a Head bag in hand and a pair of Samba on his feet.

The City Gent character is one of two mascots associated with the club. It was first introduced in the 60s and is also the name of the longest running football fanzine in the U.K. Produced by Bradford City supporters it was first available in November 1984.

The T-Shirts come in three colours, Red, Navy and Claret.

RUSSIA AWAY T-SHIRT

The guys at Turbocolor in Russia have ordered their own design for the Store in Moscow. 'Russia Away' uses our 'For Club and Country' design with two different T-Shirt backdrops of the Russian Flag and the old Russian Empire Flag from 1858.

The design has been ordered in Grey, Navy, White and Sky with different colour Mille Miglia jackets for each T-Shirt.

Available exclusively at the Turbocolor Store on Krasnoproletarskaya 16, Moscow or from their website 

www.turbocolor.ru

ICONS OF STYLE - BEATLES JOHN LENNON

Last year we brought you the 'Reni' Bucket Hat for those long hot Summer Festivals and trips abroad. This year is no different with the reversible 'Peseta' Sun Hat, as part of the S/S'12 Grafters Collection, due in the next week or so. 

The Bucket/Sun Hat is going to be the predominant headwear for this Summer with Reni from the re-formed Stone Roses almost certain to be seen in one at Heaton Park and the numerous festivals pencilled in for the band. Although Reni has the distinction of having an item of clothing named after him, he was by no means the first musician to be seen with the Bucket/Sun Hat.

Our recently found pic shows a young John Lennon in 1966 sporting the said hat at a Summer press conference. Lennon had his own inimitable style which is often over-looked. His personal look even went as far as wearing adidas trainers for the cover of the 1967 Penny Lane songbook. This is possibly the earliest example of someone wearing adidas trainers as everyday wear rather than for sport. Sporting Plimsolls were a mainstream item in the 60s, particularly in the States but Training Shoes were for Sportsmen only. The adidas in question could well be an early version of the 'Antelope'.

COMING SOON - T-SHIRTS

We have a few new designs in the pipeline and each are being prepared for an early May delivery. 

First up is 'Flower of Scotland'. The un-official National Anthem is sung at Scotland games and has given us the inspiration for the image of Three Casuals planting the Scottish 'Rampant Lion' Flag which dates back to 1222.

The tagline 'This is my country... the land that begat me' comes from the internationally renowned  Alexander Gray poem 'Scotland'.

LEADERS of MEN T-SHIRT

The re-interpreted Joy Division cover from 'An Ideal for Living' is now printed and will debut tonight on our website. http://www.80scasuals.co.uk/shop1.html 

The T-Shirt is available in Italian fit only, in both Heather Grey and Deep Navy.

A few stores should receive their stock by next weekend. Stockists include a new addition, Modern Life of Melton Mowbray, plus 80s CasualClassics, Distant Echo and Evolution.

TREVISO RUGBY RE-STOCK

We have re-stocked the plain colours of our Benetton inspired 'Treviso' Rugby top after some quick purchasers left us short on sizes. Now all sizes are available again.
http://www.80scasuals.co.uk/shop11.html

Also being introduced in the next day or so is a striped version in Azure Blue/White and Navy Blue/White.

The Treviso name derives from the home town in Italy of the Benetton Group. The local Rugby club is named Benetton Rugby Treviso.

The Rugby seems to be having somewhat of a renaissance of late as we have noticed a few American brands re-inventing the classic style. 

CLASSIC NOUVEAU - 1986

A good friend at 80s Stockist Manifesto, Dundee, sent us this image after clearing out his mothers loft.

The bag is from 1986 and is by Classic Nouveau which was a subsidiary of Italian label Fiorucci. The Fiorucci brand launched Classic Nouveau as a masculine casualwear segment of the company in 1985. The inspiration coming at the time from the nostalgia for American Sportswear of the 1950s. The bag design itself has an illustration and design that is particularly inspired by a 50s era that saw many graphic designers gain celebrity status.

A FEW CHEAP BITS

This week saw the Spring Equinox which means that the days begin to get longer and our wardrobe begins to change to a more Summery look. Therefore it's time to make room for deliveries as we prepare for the arrival of this Spring/Summers Stock. 

The website has a few 'For Club and Country' T-Shirts available at half price;

http://www.80scasuals.co.uk/shop7.html

While our eBay page carries some 'Khyber' Shorts in all sizes. The 'Khyber' was the cargo style short with two side and thigh front pockets as well as two rear pockets.

The eBay page is also the only place to purchase the 80s Casuals book at the reduced price of £8.50.

We also have the last of our 'Reni' Bucket Hats on sale.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/80scas/m.html?item=251023267179&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649&_trksid=p4340.l2562

THE SAND BAND MINI ALBUM [£1.99]

One of our favourite bands of the last 12 months, The Sand Band, have released a mini album for the bargain price of £1.99. It is available from the Bandcamp site and all proceeds go to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. 

http://thesandband.bandcamp.com/album/love-will-save-us-i-hope 

Last years 'All Through The Night' made the Top 50 [Number 38] above Noel Gallagher and the Arctic Monkeys in Mojo's Albums of the Year for 2011. We eagerly await the follow up, formerly titled 'When We Kiss', which is due for a May release.

NORTHERN AFICIONADO INTERVIEW

There's a saying that fiscal hardship sharpens creative minds. This has become more evident in these recessionary times as we see a glut of new clothing labels spring up in the wake of the 'Casual' revival. Another area that has seen an influx of creativity is in the design and production of Magazines and Fanzines. One such Fanzine recently got in touch with regards to an interview on 80s Casuals. Jay Montessori duly obliged and the said interview will be in the forthcoming first issue of Northern Aficionado when it is released in the next few weeks.

Northern Aficionado is run by two Northern lads who are passionate about football, clothing and music. That in our books is the perfect match.

The fanzine will be available from a few outlets plus eBay. For the release date and stockists check their blog site in the coming weeks;

http://northern-aficionado.blogspot.com/ 

NEW T-SHIRT - REAR GUARD [FOOSBALL]

We have four new designs coming this month including our take on the Table Football [Foosball] game. There was a time in the 70s/80s when you would see a Foosball Table in a few pubs around town and playing it would become an integral part of the evening as would playing a game of Pool.

The design incorporates some recognizable clothing including Stone Island, Nigel Cabourn and Gloverall Coats along with adidas and New Balance Trainers.

The T-Shirt is titled 'The Rear Guard' which is the last line of defence, protecting the group from being attacked from the rear.

A list of Stockists will appear soon.

FOR CLUB AND COUNTRY T-SHIRTS

The latest 'For Club and Country' are in production. Stores should expect delivery in the following two weeks. The latest Teams and Stockists include Plymouth Argyle [SW1 and 80scasuals.co.uk], Everton [Ran and 80scasuals.co.uk] and Wolves and Baggies [Henry Brummel]. 


We are at present designing a 'Club and Country' T-Shirt for our Russian Friends.
One with the Russian Flag and one with the old Russian Empire Flag. This will be available exclusively from Moscow. More details and pics to follow.

TREVISO RUGBY SHIRT

We have never hid the fact that a lot of our inspiration comes from iconic 80s brands and garments which started the art of dressing for the match. One such garment is the iconic Benetton rugby shirt, adorned by any lad worth his weight in Lira back in the day. Not wanting to be crass and merely imitate something which can never be bettered, we have created our own classic rugby shirt which just gives a nod to the said icon in both name and colours. The 'Treviso' Rugby Shirt will be available from 8.00pm tonight.

http://www.80scasuals.co.uk/shop.html

A/W '12 GAMEKEEPERS SHIRT.

This Winter will again see us put together a small capsule Collection. The 80s saw the highly branded sportswear clothing followed by a more subtle approach with outerwear inspired by the great outdoors carrying smaller logos and branding. We will follow suit with more discreet touches as we bring together the 'Gamekeepers' Collection for Autumn/Winter 2012. The mainstay of which shall be a Jacket, Shirt, Jumper, Knitted Polo, Pique Polo and Beanie.

The first sample of Shirting has arrived and shall be scrutinised before going into production. It will carry the small metallic badge on the pocket corner and will come in a Navy Gingham Check as well as a dark Plaid.  Contrast Elbow patches have been added to add structure to the cloth and to prevent wear to that area. We follow sync with a front shoulder patch on the Gamekeepers Jacket [pics to follow this week] which are tailored this way to prevent wear from the rifle butt when Hunting. A formal crew neck jumper will be the perfect accompaniment to the shirt.

MICHAEL CAINE T-SHIRT

Available in store now is a re-working of the Michael Caine T-Shirt from a few years back. With the Euros and our Grafters Collection due pretty soon, this design is a reminder of those trips abroad throughout the 80s that became an essential living for small crews of Grafters. The Head Bag along with a stolen cheque book and card were part of an ensemble that would include some smart attire so that the shop owner believed you actually owned the cheque book and card.

Available in Navy or Taupe from the Store now;

http://www.80scasuals.co.uk/shop1.html

Distant Echo, Modern Life, Indi Menswear, Hip and SW1 will be taking delivery of some stock this week.

'AGAINST MODERN FOOTBALL' T-SHIRT

'Against Modern Football' is a concept that is growing across Europe. Commercialism and Corporate endorsement has grown to unacceptable levels as Stadiums lose their identity and the price of tickets rocket to leave the working class out on a limb.

Our T-Shirt is not to start a campaign but to highlight the disrespect of proper football culture, whether its against yellow footballs, sanitized Stadiums, jesters hats, Sky's contrived handshakes or blood sucking owners we'll leave that up to you. The list is endless. What we will not do is give in and walk away from our team. We will stand and fight.

The first design from a small range of 'Against Modern Football' T-Shirts incorporates the iconic footballs from the 70s including the Telstar and Tango to the 80s Questra and Azteca. 

Available from all Stockists at the end of March.

GRAFTERS 'CONTINENTAL' CAP

The latest addition to the Grafters Collection is the 'Continental Cap'. A firm favourite throughout previous decades, the Cap is the ideal accoutrement to our Summer line, especially the Escudo Jacket.
The Cap is 100% Cotton Twill and has the usually 6 Panel Crown with matching fabric button and fabric eyelets for ventilation. The brim is more structured than 80s style Caps for better protection from the sun.
The smaller 80s leather badge is positioned off-centre.
Available in Beige and Navy, the 'Continental' Cap is one size fits all and has an adjustable strap at the back.
Stores should expect delivery in the next two weeks. RRP £25

LEADERS of MEN T-SHIRT

We look forward to this Summers Euros and Olympics were hopefully we will see some 'Leaders of Men' come to the fore. The thought has given us inspiration for our latest music related T-Shirt. We have re-interpreted the Joy Division E.P. 'An Ideal for Living' Cover from June 1978 and brought it up to date with colour and the Union Jack added to the drum skin. The E.P. contained the outstanding punk influenced track 'Leaders of Men' and was the first release from Joy Division after changing their name from Warsaw.

The T-Shirt will be available at the end of March.

FREEDOM TO PARTY

A fascinating, nicely edited 4 minute mini documentary from a few years back about the rave scene.

Music from The Shapeshifters with 'Chime'.

NEW CLUB and COUNTRY T-SHIRTS

The latest 'For Club and Country' T-Shirts go on sale tonight.

http://www.80scasuals.co.uk/shop1.html 

Both Aston Villa and Chelsea are limited to just 15 per design with the remaining 15 [as only 30 were produced] available from Henry Brummel [Aston Villa] and Stuarts [Chelsea]. 

Stone in Mirfield recently took stock of Huddersfield and Bradford and in a week or two DNA Wear, Distant Echo, 80s CasualClassics, Modern Life, Indi Menswear, Homme and SW1 will be re-stocking the England 'For Club and Country' design.