She’s sitting on the tube, sandwiched between men in suits and school kids fighting for any free seat. Her leopard print Gazelles are scuffed with wear, carefully paired with frilly white socks and a pleated mini skirt, but the main event is the baggy 2010-11 Barcelona home shirt she’s tucked up into her bra band.
She’s making a statement as she stands up to get off at her stop, chunky gold jewellery clunking together as she makes her way through the crowd, holding on tight to her shoulder bag and stepping out onto the busy platform.
No, she isn’t real, but she is a representation of every girl’s Pinterest board after “blokecore” blew up in 2022, except now there’s a new word for the style: Blokette.
Once the uniform of hardcore football fans and pub-going lads, football jerseys and terrace culture fashion has infiltrated the everyday style of teenage girls, social media influencers, and celebrities alike, who are reworking the look with playful femininity and soft touches.
Where Blokecore is all about football jerseys, jeans and Adidas trainers (plus occasionally a Fred Perry polo top), Blokette introduces mini skirts, frilled socks, ballet flats and most importantly, bows.
Whilst the original casuals were all about blending in, Blokette is challenging the hyper-masculine roots embedded in its name, and Olivia Campbell’s brand stands out against the crowd.
23-year-old Olivia doesn’t watch football and doesn’t support a team but confesses she loves football shirts and their colours, which is why she started customising them.
“Whenever I’ve seen girls wear football shirts for fashion or to support, they’ve always tucked it up, and I thought, well why are they just designed for men? And I’m not a girly girl at all, but to have something that’s just silhouetted the right way makes such a difference,” she explains.
Olivia started her brand OoLaLay in May 2024, just before the Euros kicked off. Her reworked football shirts are feminine in every way: cinched at the waist or cropped with added details like lace, ribbons and bows. Olivia’s designs reflect a new football fashion movement, one that embraces football fashion culture whilst making space for the women within it.
But not everyone has been welcoming.
“I absolutely love it because you get these men… actually, no, they’re not men—they’re boys. And it’s usually on TikTok, and they’re like, ‘What have you done? Go to jail!’ And I’m like, it’s obviously not marketed towards you, so why do you care?” she laughs.
For every negative comment, though, there’s a wave of support.
“It’s funny because then the girls will tag boys saying, ‘Get this for me for my birthday!’ and it shows that this is what the girls want.”
And as for the backlash from men? Olivia isn’t losing sleep over it.
“I don’t really care what the men think. It honestly didn’t faze me, I just find it funny.”
Her brand’s slogan, “Put a bow on it,” is more than just a catchy phrase—it’s a statement. Women are stamping out their identity in football fashion and Blokecore is just the start.
“I think women are taking back that power, in wearing whatever they want. And the fact that it happens to be in a male-dominated field and sport? That’s just perfect.”
Bella Hadid was hailed as one of the best inspirations for true Blokette fashion as she paired polos, leg warmers and kitten heels throughout 2023, whilst Wales Bonner football boot style Sambas were all the rage.
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But this trend sees no sign of slowing down.
Now, the Blokette girls are adding charms and lace to their Sambas and Gazelles and wearing the biggest, baggiest jorts they can find.
The terrace look has evolved—but it hasn’t lost its attitude, and women are at the forefront of resurrecting and redefining football casual fashion, blending modern style with nostalgic pieces.
Football fashion is no longer just about blending in with the crowds at a packed stadium. The feminisation of football fashion encourages standing out, whether that means tucking up a vintage AC Milan jersey and styling it with bold jewellery, or zipping on a bold Firebird track top with matching colourful Sambas.
So how can you get involved in feminising Blokecore? Well as Olivia would say, “put a bow on it” and you can’t go wrong.
