CASUAL SECTS

How entrepreneur built a fashion brand from 1980s football terrace culture

- By DANNY GUTMANN ECHO Correspondent

NOW worn all over Merseyside, the clothing brand 80s Casuals started over 20 years ago after Dave Hewitson struck up a conversation with two strangers about their shared love of 1980s football terrace culture.

As the name suggests, the brand can trace its roots all the way back to that decade, when a distinct fashion started to emerge on the terraces of football grounds across the country.

Adidas trainers became the brand of choice, along with clothing from Ellesse, Fila and Sergio Tacchini, among others.

Looking back at the brand's origin, Dave said it began from a desire to find stockists for a book he had published.

He said: “I'd done a book called The Liverpool Boys Are in Town, which covered the culture of the 80s and Liverpool fans going abroad and bringing back trainers that you couldn’t get here.”

Combining a shopping trip to Chester with trying to find stockists for his new book, things began to fall into place when he got chatting to two shop workers who also shared an appreciation for terrace culture.

He said: “I went into Tessuti in Chester and asked the two guys [Mike Ashcroft and Jay Montessori], ‘I've got this book; would you be interested [in stocking it]?”

“Mike was a Liverpool fan, and he said, “That's brilliant. Yeah, we'll stock it.”

Something caught the corner of his eye as he headed toward the exit.