Hattie Crowther’s Fuck The Fans sticks two fingers up to football’s racism

To say that the United Kingdom has a complicated relationship with race would be a wild understatement. Though racism in this country can be underlying and insidious, it often bubbles to the surface during moments of intense agony, or national strife. That much can be said for the events after the 2020 Euros, when the England men’s team fell at the final hurdle to Italy. With the competition delayed until 2021 due to the COVID pandemic, tensions were already at a knife’s edge, and when Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho missed their penalties at the close of the match, they were met with a torrent of racist abuse online.

A stark truth is that, for Black people living in the UK, the reaction was not surprising. There was the expected condemnation, with then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson quite ironically decrying the events, but an even bigger dissonance was how the people who were hurling the racist abuse were described as England “fans”. Could a true England fan really act in this way? Hattie Crowther, fashion designer and football fanatic, wanted to delve deeper, and confronting those fans through fashion was the way to do it.

Previously, Crowther released a collection of football top corsets branded with ‘HUMAN RIGHTS’ and ‘FUCK FIFA’, rallying against the anti-LGBT laws of 2022 World Cup host Qatar. With the same spirit of protest, the designer has now created Fuck the Fans, a collection of upcycled England shirts with Rashford, Saka and Sancho screen printed across, and ‘FUCK THE FANS’ across the back.

For the campaign, Crowther headed to Soho pub The Blue Post to shoot the images, a lively, raucous scene lensed by Rebecca Zephyr Thomas, with the surprising addition of a single fan in drag in amongst the fray. According to the designer, the decision “was to demonstrate that anyone can be a fan in a space and sport largely dominated by white cisgendered malescis.” And with 20 percent of proceeds going to Football Beyond Borders – a charity that helps young, working class football fans – it’s clear that Crowther is fully committed to changing the face of football.

In the conversation below, Crowther talks us through the ideas behind the collection, casting her mates in the campaign, and the shared sensibilities of football and fashion.

Hi Hattie, congratulations on the new collection! Can you tell me about the inspiration behind the clothes?

Hattie Crowther: Back in the final against Italy, you could only imagine the immense pressure on our youngest players that Southgate put forward for penalties. With an entire nation of ‘supporters’ watching, the stakes were incredibly high. When these players missed their penalties, we knew the backlash they would face. This situation prompted me to think about what truly defines a ‘fan’. Everyone claims to be a fan when things are going well, but when things go wrong, it’s important for these ‘fans’ to reflect on their behaviour.

Can you talk me through the process of actually making the shirts?

 Hattie Crowther: I have taken key celebratory moments from the three players in question – Saka, Sancho, and Rashford – and edited them in Photoshop to create graphic prints that take over the front of vintage and repurposed jerseys. These prints are produced using a heat transfer sublimation process, ensuring they do not interfere with the crest and sportswear branding. The designs are bold and dominant, celebrating these players, with the key title of the collection, Fuck The Fans, displayed on the back.

“These jerseys endure a lot – beer stains, pit stains – but we can still work around these imperfections to create something new and unique” – Hattie Crowther

Why is up-cycling important to your creative practice?

Hattie Crowther: Utilising existing materials just makes sense, especially for football jerseys, which are incredibly durable. These jerseys endure a lot – beer stains, pit stains, and more – but we can still work around these imperfections to create something new and unique. With the number of jerseys released each season including home, away, third kits, and special editions there’s a significant environmental impact due to waste. It’s crucial for us as designers to take responsibility by finding creative ways to give existing products new life once they’re no longer considered ‘new’.

How did you cast the campaign? What were you looking for in the models?

Hattie Crowther: The models are predominantly my friends. I didn’t see the need to find ‘typical’ football fans through modelling agencies or street casting. I wanted to make sure the authenticity of the love of football translates through the campaign, and it made much more sense to work with my friends who already are into football. The moments captured in the images are genuine and spontaneous, portraying candid moments of fun.

What was the creative idea behind having only one of the fans in drag hair and make up in the 

Hattie Crowther: The reason for bringing Rosacea Blemish back into the fold was to demonstrate that anyone can be a fan in a space and sport largely dominated by white cisgendered males. It’s about reintroducing love to the game, and Rosacea is ideally suited for this role. She exudes confidence and embodies a bold, Pat Butcher-like presence that adds exactly what we need to the mix.

Does the pub setting in the campaign have any deeper significance to you other than just a social gathering place?

Hattie Crowther: Yes, I used to work in Soho during the peak of COVID-19 and the regulations imposed by the Tories. When England played Denmark on July 7, I couldn’t find a space in any pub to watch the match. During my lunch hour, I stopped by The Blue Post and asked if they had any space for the match later. There was an elderly man at the bar who said, ‘give her a table, she’s wearing a bloody England corset, bless her.’ Martin, the owner of The Blue Post then gave us two tables. What a legend he is! So it makes sense to shoot at this particular pub for this collection.

Football and fashion are often seen as having disparate values – in what ways have you attempted to bring the two together? What shared sensibilities do you think they have?

Hattie Crowther: Although football and fashion are often seen as having disparate values, our mission as emerging designers is to highlight their shared emphasis on identity, demonstrating that just as fans and players together create a team's identity, the wearers of garments are as integral as the designers, with our designs conveying powerful messages to the world.

Head here to shop the Fuck the Fans collection, and scroll through our gallery above to see the entire campaign.