ou may have seen nu-lad: he’s the guy in the pub with the shaved head or slicked-down fringe, his baseball cap tilted back. He’s probably wearing a pair of Reebok Classics and a bunch of labels, which seem at odds with fashion’s narrative: think Lonsdale, Ellesse, Fila, Puma, Reebok, Champion, alongside some higher-priced pieces by Supreme, Palace and Hood by Air. Imagine, if you will, a hipster that doesn’t look like a hipster. This is nu-lad, a 20-something guy from no discernible background, who prefers tracksuits to tweed, and a warm can of Stella over a pint of craft beer.

Drawing on an era wedged somewhere between Alan Shearer’s heyday and the birth of “banter site” the Lad Bible in 2012, nu-lad grew up and got a taste for sportswear as off-pitch clothing: he gave up boorish tracksuits and moved towards a conscious, rebellious “terrace-inspired” styling that encompasses affordable, nostalgic sportswear. The SS15 catwalks were a case in point, with collections by big names such as Balmain and Calvin Klein showcasing activewear, sportswear and streetwear, albeit with a high-fashion twist via plastic, neoprene and colour-blocking, alongside emerging labels such as Christopher Shannon, Y-3, James Long and Astrid Anderson. Think football kit with mega price points.

Nu-lads … Adidas Originals Nu-lads are the opposite to hipsters – they’re about looking young and real – or the ‘powerful identity of British working-class style’ … Adidas Originals.

Musicians are naturally pioneering this look: MC Skepta last year collaborated with wunderkind designer Nasir Mazhar a nd soundtracked his recent show. He did the same thing with Sports Direct, becoming its unofficial brand ambassador (“it’s the most fashionable shop in the UK true story,” says Haj-Najafi). Alongside him is Swedish rapper Yung Lean (North Face, Nike), musicians Drake (often seen in seminal-now-hip terrace-wear Stone Island), and Kanye West, who has collaborated with Adidas.

While examples littered the SS15 collections, it’s being reflected on the high street too. Later this week, Topman will launch its collaboration with French 1990s waterproofers K-Way. Adidas’s latest campaign is geared around the whole nu-lad aesthetic. Champion and Nike have concessions in Urban Outfitters. It’s almost close to becoming mainstream.

In certain circles, this look has always existed. Boys have always worn tracksuits. The obstacle to its emergence as a serious trend is, obviously, the word “lad”, which is laden with negative connotations. But the stereotype is changing – the Lad Bible (the 12th most read site in the UK) has admitted it is trying to rebrand its image as something broader, and a recent YouGov poll confirmed the “evolution”. This is a post-metrosexual, post-Loaded-reading guy who still drinks cans, likes chips, prefers dogs to cats and enjoys The Inbetweeners; he still wears Adidas and Nike. But he wants to do all of the above without being weighed down by the boobs and banter of the laddish culture we know and loathe.

Carri Munden, the designer behind seminal 2000s-style label Cassette Playa, has long been designing fashion for nu-lads, or as she calls it, “the future vision of masculinity”. But it’s her very-noughties SS15 collection, which feels more consciously reactive than ever, “totally no more beards and heritage”, she explains, when asked about the thinking behind it. “This nu-lad is the powerful identity of British working-class style,” an aesthetic she compares to the mods, which has been “a constant inspiration on my designs”. She namechecks labels such as Iceberg, Moschino and Sergio T and subcultures like “UK garage” and “terrace-casual”.

Of course, there is an argument that this style is as “disingenuous” as the pseudo-dandy look adopted by so-called hipsters, at least on some wearers. Andreas Branco – who founded Wavey Garms, a Facebook e-tailer that has huge successselling used, nostalgic sportswear by Champion and Stone Island, and running club nights (the most recent saw 600 kids dancing to Wookie and spilling beer all over their Tommy Hilfiger bumbags) – believes some are fetishing the style. “These people want to look working-class when they’re not,” he has said. But arguably much of fashion is about trying to identify with a certain tribe, be it 1960s dandy (Saint Laurent) or health goth (Alexander Wang). “Which I get,” continues Branco. “A lot of us grew up with this stuff. It’s cool that it’s back.”

Advertisment Cheap Wholesale Nike Shoes Max Air 90 Shoes Air Jordan Retro Shoes Cheap Air Max 2015 Cheap Air Jordan 11 Legend Blue

Musicians such as Only Real are showcasing the look. Photograph: Charlotte Rutherford

To people like Branco, it’s less of a trend and more of a lifestyle. New magazines such as LAW, which stands for “lives and work”, appeal to this new demographic; it’s less the aspirational, middle-class reader and more “mates who work hard all day and drink in the pub” as its editor, John Holt, has said. Even the music scene is in on it, with British acts such as Only Real and Real Lies showcasing a new type of urban man. Though musically very different, both appeal to urban, melancholy youth, and they do so in Reebok Classics and Nike.

“What’s clear is that the hipster aesthetic needed to move on,” says Sanderson. “This next wave is inevitable. The point is – it feels genuine, a style that almost transcends fashion. And what the kids do, everyone else follows.”

Nu-lads on the block

Partager cet article