It’s Cool Britannia all over again … Gen Z has fallen for the Liam Gallagher look
WE’RE on the cusp of a landslide Labour election win (probably) and there is a certain mood in the air — a feeling of things can only get better. While D:Ream don’t seem to be on the cusp of a Sophie Ellis-Bextor-style revival, one Brit Pop star is having his moment in the sunshi-ine. Again.
An army of 20-something Liam Gallagher lookalikes have been cropping up all over London. “On TikTok, tutorials of Liam Gallagher’s mod-top haircuts have gone viral,” says stylist and trend spotter Lauren Glazer.
It’s clearest in Soho, where we hunted down some Liam-like Gen Zs. Presenter Snake Denton, 24, is one such Nineties devotee. “It was a time of political change,” he says. “You get New Labour in after 18 years of Tory rule. There’s national pride about our pop culture... Alexander McQueen, Kate Moss, Trainspotting... and the football team was good!” Denton shops vintage for football shirts, scarves, and tracksuits. One accessory goes with everything: his Liam-like hair.
“If you go to Skehan’s pub in Nunhead you’ll see loads of people who look like Liam or [his brother] Noel,” he says. “In Homerton, you’ll see girls and boys with mod haircuts or nice little fringes wearing Adidas and Fred Perry tracksuits.” Musician Andy Goodwin even uses the slogan Britflop, and wears Fred Perry like Blur’s Damon Albarn. “Nineties bands were the last true rock stars,” says podcaster Danny Lomas. Influencer Callum Mullin comes close, but the two best Gallagher lookalikes haunt the smoking areas of London party circuit: Liam’s sons Lennon and Gene. “They have been able to adapt a style that their dad made famous and bring it into the current fashion climate,” says social media expert Kieran Gowan
Clarke. Crucially for Gen Z, it’s affordable. “This is not an expensive look” says Denton. More than that, the other appeal of the era is obvious: “It was a time of hedonism and fun.”