David Beckham remains football’s king of fashion: How Man Utd & England legend’s new adidas collection proves he still sets the agenda more than a decade after retiring

While the currents of football and fashion have never run closer than they do today, Beckham has always been there, ahead of the curve.

His willingness to be bold and experiment with his personal style in the late 90s and early noughties mean we have him to thank in large part for the alignment of two cultural phenomena – sport and fashion – that, on paper, seem wildly different.

‘Blokecore’, the rise to prominence of vintage football shirts, French national team, NBA and NFL players getting incredibly expensively-assembled fits off for the cameras. Beckham helped to forge the path that led to those trends.

You remember the sarong at the 1998 World Cup, ‘Posh and Becks” full-leather look from 1999, wearing a durag to meet Prince Charles in 2000 and that famous (or infamous) mohawk hairstyle in 2001; he was widely ridiculed as the tabloids had a field day at the time, but now it’s clear Becks was on to something.

“My style? It’s from another planet,” he told GQ in 2002.

As Beckham matured, so did his dress sense, as experimentation became consistency. Today, he is known for seamlessly blending modern trends with timeless elegance, staying relevant and cultivating an image of class and sophistication despite the lazy stereotypes attached to footballers – especially those from a working-class background.

The influence of his wife and designer Victoria, of course, cannot be underestimated. The former Spice Girl is now equally synonymous with the fashion world as she is with the Britpop girl group.

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  Early roots

  But Beckham’s obsession with fashion long pre-dates his relationship with Victoria. “I always liked fashion,” he told former team-mate Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel.

  “Even when I was a page boy for my mum’s best friend when I was a kid. I was given the opportunity as a kid when I was 12 or 11 years old and I was page boy for one of my mum’s friends – she gave me the opportunity to either wear a suit or knickerbockers.

  “Knickerbockers with white silk socks and a pair of ballet shoes and I wore that. There was always something in me that liked dressing different.”
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  Mr. adidas

  Obviously Beckham’s good looks and footballing ability were the backbone of his success, but his emergence as one of the first fashion-forward athletes means he has been able to build up a substantial portfolio of extremely lucrative commercial partnerships, working across a spectrum of brands from Aston Martin to Pepsi.

  Inevitably, he has always been coveted in the fashion world, famously posing in Armani underwear and shooting with Hugo Boss, as well as high street brands like H&M.

  However, there is one brand in particular with which Beckham is synonymous: adidas.

  The Englishman has been the face of the German sportswear behemoth for what feels like an eternity, having worn their iconic Predator boot throughout his storied career. He became an ambassador when he signed a lifetime deal with the Three Stripes way back in 2003, reportedly worth £115 million ($149m today).

  In the years since, Beckham has fronted countless campaigns, worn various signature designs and appeared at innumerable promotional events. It is a relationship that has continued to thrive long beyond the footballer’s retirement in 2013, as Beckham still stars in TV adverts and has his face emblazoned on billboards across the globe.

  In what feels like the culmination of that rock-solid partnership, the ex-footballer was given the responsibility of co-designing his very own collection. Two years in the making, the capsule has now dropped and does not disappoint.

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  ‘It was only right we handed over the reins’

  The adidas X David Beckham Predator 24 collection has now been unveiled, to mark the 30th anniversary of the boot that is intrinsically linked to the former England and Man Utd superstar. It features a signature boot and a streetwear collection, all designed in collaboration with Beckham himself.

  “We’re always looking at how we can break new ground in the world of football, and what better way to do so than with one of our longest serving and most iconic partners?” Sam Handy, senior vice-president of product and design at adidas, said.

  “A name so synonymous with Predator, it was only right we handed over the creative reins to David to enable him to bring his vision to life through an adidas lens. This boot is a true reflection of on-pitch performance combined with luxury lifestyle, elevated to a level never seen before with a Predator boot.”
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  Throwback Predator

  The limited-edition Predator is the highlight of the collection. In a clean, brilliant white with a contrasting blue tongue, the boot embodies Beckham and his bold, forward-thinking style.

  For eagle-eyed, noughties football aficionados, the design will bring back memories of Beckham’s signature Predator Pulse boot from 2005, which was also white with a blue tongue that featured his personal logo of his iconic, arms-spread pose just before whipping in a trademark set-piece.

  The new version has adidas’ trefoil – usually associated with their Originals collection – on the tongue, marking the first time the motif has ever been used on the Predator boot in what Beckham described as a “non-negotiable”. Interestingly, the ex-player’s sign-off is hidden on the underside.

  “It’s important that we don’t put too much of me all over the boot,” Beckham explained. “I’d rather people know it’s designed by me rather than [call it] ‘the David Beckham boot’.”

  There trefoil is also subtly incorporated in the trademark three stripes on the sides of the boots, contributing to a silver look, as well as in the soleplate.

  Beckham and adidas’ co-designed Predators were seen on-foot last week as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Paulo Dybala, Rodrigo De Paul and Eder Militao debuted them in European competition, while Arsenal star Alessia Russo donned them against Brighton in the WSL.

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  Standout collection

  The accompanying apparel collection doesn’t miss, either – a demonstration of Beckham’s eye for fashion and understanding of the streetwear zeitgeist, arriving right on cue like one of his whips into the penalty area.

  In a capsule that takes inspiration from 70s silhouettes, the standouts are undoubtedly the matching track top and pants and the long-sleeve jersey, which are all ripe for the ‘blokecore’ crowd. Expect to see them on an east London street near you very, very soon.

  Both the tracksuit arrives in a vibrant blue colourway and is adorned with a striking, all-over embossed trefoil design. The signature three stripes are in red on the sleeves of the zip-up jacket, with both red and blue piping across the chest above the trefoil logo. The trousers are flared in a nod to the wide-leg trend, with the three stripes continuing down the sides of each leg.

  Meanwhile, the jersey comes in a beige colour with the embossed print and has the aesthetic of a vintage football shirt – sure to be a crowd pleaser.

  Using that same colour palette, a sateen windbreaker with all-over trefoil print, a simple slim-fit tee, satin sports shorts and a pair of white socks with the classic trefoil logo make up the collection.
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  Setting the agenda

  This collection feels like conclusive evidence of what we already knew: David Beckham is king of football fashion, and he continues to set the agenda.

  His first foray into co-designing with his beloved adidas is right on point, reflecting that his finger is still on the pulse at the age of 49.

  “I’ve loved designing this special Predator boot and collection with adidas,” Beckham said. “It’s great to finally share what we’ve been working on with fans of the adidas Predator and Originals. For the first time ever, this Predator features the iconic trefoil – I asked the question and they said yes… and I’m so proud of how the collection has turned out.

  “It’s fantastic to celebrate 30 years of the Predator and with that, look back at many amazing on-pitch moments for myself and so many others.”

  This is just Beckham’s latest in a long line of contributions to the fashion world, and we can’t wait to see what’s next.

  The adidas x David Beckham Predator 24 and Originals apparel collection is available now at selected retail stores and adidas.com.