This is not just a vest – it’s a cultural icon
Museums battle to acquire Gareth Southgate’s World Cup waistcoat as a piece of footballing history
IT IS regarded by fans as a good-luck charm for the England team’s continued success in Russia, has made its owner a fashion icon and has led to an unexpected rise in sales back home.
Now – as England prepare to face Croatia tonight for a place in Sunday’s World Cup final – the waistcoat worn by team manager Gareth Southgate has been declared an item of cultural significance by historians.
And that has even led to a battle between two of country’s leading museums over its future ownership.
The Museum of London kicked things off yesterday, saying it wanted to acquire Southgate’s navy waistcoat for its collection. Shortly after the National Football Museum in Manchester pitched in, declaring the £65 waistcoat rightfully belonged there.
Beatrice Behlen, the Museum of London’s senior fashion curator, said: “Waistcoats were born in London in 1666, promoted by King Charles II. Now Watfordborn Gareth Southgate is reviving that London tradition and bringing waistcoats home to the forefront of fashion.”
But the National Football Museum said that with a collection of
2,500 items of football memorabilia on public display, and another 140,000 in its archives, it would provide a far more suitable home for the England manager’s waistcoat.
A spokesman said: “It would certainly be an item we’d be interested in acquiring. We’ve got quite a few quirkier items from football’s history, including Pele’s passport, and Southgate’s waistcoat would fit in perfectly.”
The National Football Museum even suggested a footballing method of settling the matter: “We propose a shoot-out for it at our place. What say you, @Museumoflondon?” it tweeted. The rivalry over who should acquire Southgate’s waistcoat comes on what has been called “Waistcoat Wednesday”, during which thousands of office workers are expected to wear one to show their support for the England team and raise money for good causes.
Southgate’s decision to sport a waistcoat during matches has led to a spike in sales from M&S, which supplies the team’s official World Cup suit, with the retailer rapidly running out of stock.
Such has been the impact of the England manager’s choice of apparel that even the Moscow branch of M&S has run out of most sizes of the waistcoat.
It even has its own spoof Twitter account, with the slogan “Fashion’s Coming Home”.
Southgate himself has confessed to being rather puzzled by his sudden elevation to the status of fashion icon.
“I am no David Beckham,” he joked. “I was not a renowned fashion icon throughout my career and it is rather strange to feel that way now.”