Oasis UK tour: The best Britpop fashion of the era

Oasis UK tour: The best Britpop fashion of the era

As Oasis gear up for their highly-anticipated UK tour, it鈥檚 not just their songs that are bringing back memories.

Frontman Liam Gallagher鈥檚 parka became part of Nineties uniform, while brother Noel鈥檚 Adidas zip-ups and baggy windbreakers defined Britpop fashion.

It wasn鈥檛 just Oasis that impacted fashion 鈥 Damon Albarn, the lead singer of the band鈥檚 rival, Blur, also had a distinctive look sporting graphic Tees, parachute pants and vintage knitwear.

Britpop emphasised anti-glamour, pulling away from the over-stylised pop bands of the past and forming a new look through vintage sportswear, bucket hats and mod heritage.

Oasis led the charge with branded sportswear and baggy 鈥 bordering on sloppy 鈥 silhouettes, forming a new look that became synonymous with 鈥榣ad culture鈥.

So, here鈥檚 a look back at some of the best fashion of the Britpop era 鈥 and why it was so uniquely influential.

When Oasis first came onto the scene in 1993, releasing Definitely Maybe in 1994 鈥 which became the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time 鈥 their style was noticeably unnoticeable.

The Gallagher brothers鈥 casual cargos and pared-back parkas were a sharp departure from Eighties UK bands like Duran Duran, Bros and Spandau Ballet. The Manchester-born band would frequently wear the same relaxed looks 鈥 featuring tracksuit bottoms and rain jackets 鈥 to both practice and perform in.

While Oasis were experiencing a meteoric rise for their volatile antics and stellar alternative/pop rock sound, another spearhead of Britpop was a Southern band called Blur.

Formed in December 1988, when bassist Alex James joined singer Damon Albarn鈥檚 band named Circus, Blur began performing the following year and gained traction when their single 鈥楽he鈥檚 So High鈥 entered the UK Singles Chart in 1990.

By 1994, the commercial success of Blur鈥檚 hit 鈥楶arklife鈥, was seen as Britpop鈥檚 defining record.

The release of 鈥楥ountry House鈥 in 1995 was said to begin the public rivalry between Blur and Oasis, which was dubbed the 鈥淏attle of Britpop鈥.

Partly due to increasing antagonisms between the groups, Blur and Oasis released their new singles on the same day, an event the NME called 鈥淭he British Heavyweight Championship鈥.

The debate over which band would top the British singles chart became a media phenomenon, with Albarn even appearing on the News at Ten.

At the end of the week, 鈥楥ountry House鈥 ultimately outsold Oasis鈥 鈥楻oll With It鈥 by 274,000 copies to 216,000, becoming Blur鈥檚 first number one single.

The following year, in 1996, the bands would take part in the Music Industry Soccer Six Tournament at Mile End Stadium in East London.

Both Liam Gallagher and Damon Albarn sported some iconic outfits that wouldn鈥檛 look out of place on a Britpop album cover.

Gallagher wore a Kangol bucket hat and Adidas sweats while Albarn wore a Kappa jacket and a Chelsea FC beanie. To Oasis鈥 dismay, Blur were victorious once again, winning the match 2-0.

By the late Nineties, both bands had clear camps of fans. Oasis was viewed with more raw identity in contrast to Blur鈥檚 art-school persona, and this was reflected in their fashion.

Oasis鈥 nonchalant attitude to their on-stage style was pared-back and intentionally unpretentious.

While headlining some of the biggest festivals of the time, such as Knebworth, the group rejected flashy trends in favour of their own comfortable wardrobe staples.

Blur, on the other hand, strayed from simply sportswear, incorporating mod and casual pieces, which Albarn himself has described as 鈥渕od-ual鈥.

Blur also embraced more surf and skate-inspired fashion, including graphic Tees, beaded necklaces, preppy V-necks and skate shoes.

By the millennium, the bands鈥 increasing fame had them caricatured by papers, talk shows and satirical programmes like Spitting Image.

Consequently, their fashion became immortalised in popular culture, namely Liam Gallagher for his bucket hats and parkas, and Albarn for his baby-Tees and Fred Perry polos.

While Definitely Maybe was reaching its 10th anniversary, growing tensions between members of Oasis had begun to surface.

Long-time drummer Alan White, who at this time had played on nearly all of the band鈥檚 material, had been asked to leave the band and was replaced by Zak Starkey, the son of Ringo Starr.

At this time, the band鈥檚 members began to form more individual identities. Noel, the guitarist and de facto leader of the group, was characterised as 鈥榬everent-yet-confident鈥 in both style and song-writing.

The beginning of the Noughties saw a breakdown of Britpop, as Blur鈥檚 Graham Coxon left the group in 2002 leading to a hiatus, and Oasis dramatically split in 2009.

Two decades on, the fashion of Britpop remains as culturally resonant as the music itself 鈥 casually cool and unmistakably British.

Whether it鈥檚 a parka, bucket hat or preppy-come-casual ensemble, Blur and Oasis helped make classically trivial clothes symbolic of a certain scene.

As Oasis return to the stage, it鈥檚 a reminder that Britpop wasn鈥檛 just about sound, but character and identity.

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