Weekend Offender - The current state of the ‘casual’ subculture
Anyone who has been going to the football over the last 10 to 15 years will be familiar with the brand Weekend Offender, whose most iconic piece of clothing is the graphic T‑shirt featuring their playful take on the “Her Majesty’s Pleasure” logo. Weekend Offender is a clothing brand aimed squarely at people interested in terrace (casual) culture, and it began almost as a love letter to that scene.
They aren’t the only brand that has tried to appeal to this audience. Many will remember the iconic 80s Casuals graphic tees from the 2000s. But in recent years Weekend Offender has become something of a juggernaut on the terraces, especially amongst younger lads. That’s likely down to its accessible price point compared to the now extortionate retail of fan favourite Stone Island. I understand the appeal: the brand is affordable for younger working class lads who can’t fork out for a brand new Stone Island jacket or a Burberry scarf. But even taking that into account, its popularity still annoys me, because a lot of what they produce is, to be honest, utter shit.
To give some context and to explain why I hold this opinion, I need to rewind a bit. There are a lot of shared principles between the Mod subculture and the casual scene, but the one that stands out most to me is aspiration. That desire to reach for something better than what you’ve already got. The idea that even if you’re not from a privileged background, you can still graft and get yourself that Lacoste polo or that Burberry jacket. That sense of aspiration is a core principle of subculture, and it’s one I think is somewhat lost on today’s youth as brands like Weekend Offender, Marshall Artist & Peaceful Hooligan don’t exactly scream luxury or feel aspirational.
And yes, I know what you’re thinking: how can someone who’s 25 and born in 2000 have the authority to say that? Fair point, I’ve got no official authority, and I wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking I’m talking out of my arse. But in my opinion, the new generation have drifted away from what made the subculture great.
The early 2010s saw a massive resurgence in the casual scene, thanks in part to Nick Love’s remake of The Firm. As someone who was around 12 to 13 years old at the time, I remember being at the pub before and after games, seeing lads aged 16–20 all dressed smart in CP goggle jackets, Barbour International jackets, Armani Jeans caps, Aquascutum scarves, Adidas Malmo, and so on. It was rare to see anyone looking scruffy and I looked up to them wanting to dress exactly like them.
Today it’s the complete opposite. The lads who are that same age now mostly look scruffy in my opinion, and the two worst items of clothing they seem to love are the Weekend Offender checked cap and matching scarf which is a blatant ripoff of Aquascutum. I don’t get the appeal when vintage Aquascutum is quite affordable on apps such as depop.
I recently reread Phil Thornton’s Casuals an amazing book which I highly recommend, and it’s funny reading the later chapters where lads complain about the state of the scene back then in the late 90s/early 00s hooligan “identikit” era, a look I admittedly have a huge soft spot for. In defence of that era, even though everyone did dress exactly the same the look served a purpose: it was basically camouflage against CCTV. Importantly, it still kept that spirit of aspiration alive, with brands like Prada, Paul & Shark, Hackett, and Stone Island being at forefront.
I also find it funny that now the best dressed young people you see are your hipster fashion influencer types who have now appropriated the most iconic clothing pieces from the Casual Subculture into their look, whether that be vintage Stone Island or Burberry from the 80s/90s, Retro Adidas trainers or Clarks Originals. When you see these people in cities like London or Manchester, it’s hard to deny they look smart as fuck - especially compared to a group of lads waiting for the train at New St station heading to any away game, a concept that would’ve sounded mental if you told me that 10 years ago.
To be perfectly honest, I think the subculture at this moment in time feels very stale and yes, I know that there might be someone reading this in his late 50s that will say it’s been stale since 1995, but this is just my opinion. However, if you’re one of the new generations reading this, I don’t want this to come across as a bashing. If you like wearing Weekend Offender, that’s fair enough, I’m just a bitter 25-year-old who’s annoyed he missed the glory years of the 80s/90s. But if you yearn for something better than Weekend Offender and want to stand out from your mates at the game but don’t have the financial capacity, get yourself into the vintage market on Depop, eBay and Vinted, you’ll find some absolute gems from the bygone eras that won’t break the bank. It will always look better than Weekend Offender.