Combining Fashion, Football and Art in Liverpool

Art of the Terraces Exhibition, Liverpool. 2022-23

Combining fashion, football, and art as told from the terraces of the stadiums, this was the first major exhibition to tell the story of a movement that defined sports culture of the 1970s, 80s and 90s. For so many, football will always be synonymous with other subcultures; fashion, music, art, all come into play. For those, it was never just about 22 blokes (or women) kicking a ball about. It was about a sense of community and belonging. It was about the lifestyle. It’s was about having an identity. Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery hosted a ground-breaking new exhibition combining fashion, football and art, as told from the terraces of the stadiums.

This pioneering exhibition considers the culture of football ‘casuals’, which began on Britain’s football terraces in the late 1970s. By the 80s, football’s casual culture was at its peak. Violence on the terraces was escalating as groups of supporters tried to out to one another. But with it they sported a smart casual look that was being adopted by fans up and down the county. Through the medium of art, it highlights the clothing brands and sports footwear, music and encounters between rival groups of football supporters which defined an era and generation.

The Grim North, Jen Wagner.

“This wasn’t just a group of kids following fashion and wearing the latest trends, these kids were creating their own trends and style. The clothes, the attitude and ultimately the match defined the culture.”

- Dave Hewitson, Exhibition Partner

In a fusion of art, fashion and popular culture, Art of the Terraces explored the work of a generation of contemporary artists and designers who have been influenced by this movement over the last 40 years. It celebrated a cultural scene that had been overlooked by the mainstream art world, but which has created its own dynamic art forms and which is now credited with the mass popularisation of sportswear as leisurewear - a worldwide phenomenon. The story of the movement, its wider significance in British and European popular culture and its artistic legacy was told through more than 100 paintings, photographs, graphic designs and fashion items, as well as video and installation art.

This movement created a whole new approach to fashion, which still inspires brand loyalty today, and has attracted a new generation of fans of retro and classic sportswear and footwear.

Visitors saw artwork by leading contemporary artists such as Leo Fitzmaurice, Turner Prize winners Mark Leckey and Mark Wallinger, Pete McKee, Lucy McKenzie, Ross Muir and Dave White.

Stand, Peter McKee.

“It’s been our ambition for a long time to hold an exhibition of this kind at the Walker. Terrace culture originated among football fans here in the North West in the 1970s, and it’s difficult to overemphasise quite how far-reaching its influence has become.

We’ll consider the highs and lows of going to the match, and the sense of identity and belonging that could be discovered and signalled to others through wearing a certain pair of trainers or branded sports top.”

- Pauline Rushton, Head of Decorative Arts at National Museums Liverpool