For the Culture with Roo Oxley
The heritage revival continues, and this time with an absolute belter:
Aquascutum has always been a firm favourite amongst football casuals, particularly from the 90s era. Not as overexposed and ridiculed as other brands, with its scarf and the Aquascutum check, is and instantly synonymous with casual culture.
Quintessentially British, Aquascutum's rich heritage was appropriated by the Casuals amongst other high-end luxury brands as a means of portraying an outward sense of wealth and distinguishable by its upper-class gentleman aesthetic.
Old money was the look amongst the earlier football casuals and hooligans, a means of averting police attention and also following in the footsteps of other subcultures wanting to look richer; to appear smart and wealthy is not only a traditional working class tradition, but to be decked out in the classic Club Check, could, at first, out fox the old bill who could not keep up with the changing faces and labels of football Casuals.
I was gutted when Aquascutum, a personal favourite of mine, become defunct. Bought by a Japanese company, and then passed through many hands, the company went through administration numerous times. Where did it all go wrong?! The Aquascutum Club Check scarf and cap are absolutely iconic of the casual revival, and emblematic of casual culture for the nineties' generation.
Well good news to all those still affiliated with casual culture, as the label is being revived under the guise of the new ‘Aquascutum Active’ line by an Italian design and production company (i.e in very good hands). They all come from good stock design backgrounds, so the new era of Aquascutum Active will be a heady mix of British heritage plus Italian swish design…what more can the Nouveaux Casuals desire?
The new line under the Aquascutum licence, Aquascutum Active is full of sleek, stylish key products such as the Trench coat, reversible lightweight jackets, well-cut fleeces…all tailored beautifully and in muted colours such as Army Green, Navy and of course, the iconic Aquascutum Club Check.
The Club Check Aquascutum scarves can and will only be worn a certain way (no face, no case!); there is a nuance to wrapping the MerinoWP Wool (Water Repellent) scarf around the face to avoid detection and recognition at the match or/and afterwards in any premeditated skirmishes. NOT to be worn in a know around the neck, rugby style. And not just the scarf, but the caps. Either full check or check trim. This is what I would sit and watch back in the day, fixated by the waves of Aquascutum caps, the lads, the coats, the clobber.
Aquascutum Active is back. Get amongst it.
All text & photo courtesy Roo Oxley©
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