Oasis Aesthetics, will we dress like in the 90s again?
Parka, bucket hat and polo. Are three elements enough to outline the BritPop aesthetic of the most beloved and well-known group.
For the lucky ones who managed to grab tickets for the UK and Ireland tour for summer 2025, it's already a party. For those hoping for the probable addition of new dates outside the British borders, all that's left to do is pass the time with a pleasantly nostalgic refresh of the BritPop Oasis aesthetic that distinguished both the Gallagher brothers and their antagonists like Damon Albarn's Blur. For all those who didn't even live through the nineties, there's still time to catch up.
A rivalry that set fire to pages and pages, yes, the internet didn't exist yet, of both industry and mainstream newspapers and heated debates and clashes between fans of the two bands just to climb the national charts and not to the rhythm of singles and appearances. A diabolical marketing mechanism inspired by the oldest rivalry of Mods versus Rockers of the English sixties that then spread and was emulated even just on an aesthetic level all over the world. Tailored suits , parkas and Lambrettas or leather jackets , Creepers and quiffs? Let's say it's a bit more complex than that, certainly Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis have been able to convert from that historical period the attitude of the rebellious and frustrated of the working class into a formula of authentic end-of-the-millennium roughness. "What counts are the words, the chords and the singing, certainly not how we are dressed". But then the whole package played in their favour.
If collaborations are pouring in, popular brands from the time are resurfacing alongside recent ones generated in that vein, it is no coincidence that 2024 coincides with the 30th anniversary of the first album, Definitely Maybe, dated 1994. And it is not even when before the big announcement of the reunion and with diabolical timing, the deluxe version of the album was fed to the fans, stuffed with unreleased songs and produced in every format known to modern discography. In the case of the vinyl one, it even comes in a colored " Strawberries and Cream" mix to touch the strings of the fetishists of the arm-needle gesture.
The first collab to get people talking is Levi's , which has just released an unexpected drop of magical t-shirts, the fetish item of every self-respecting fandom. If we didn't get them in the late nineties, today you can choose the one you like from three definitive models: with the classic black and white Oasis logo in bold font, with the swirling base of the Union Jack or with the logo placed above the football field of their 1996 concert at Maine Road Stadium. All three Oasis t-shirts are valid for different reasons.
Beyond the fabulous merch that will be released between now and next summer to keep the spirits high during the long wait, the news of the Oasis reunion has rekindled a newfound interest in the aesthetic code that defined the recording work of the Gallagher brothers and the rest of the band. Can we therefore talk about Oasis aesthetics within the BritPop scenario? Of course we can. Three indisputable pieces of their Mod-inspired style see the parka, the sporty polo shirts of a football fan and the bucket hat at the center of this reflection in front of the archived boxes of our adolescence.
Oasis, Liam Gallagher and the military parka
Emblematic outerwear of the protest approach. Against the powers that be and against opposing factions, it has been and continues to be a precious protective shell against rain and wind and against everything that scares. The Oasis parka is one of those items of clothing that screams England from any latitude it may possibly be in. Celebrated in Quadrophenia , a cult film released in 1979 with the signature of the Who - a cinematic document that frames the discomfort and boredom of the Mods against the Rockers, Liam wears it like a second skin, a soft and all-encompassing armor even in 40 degrees and 99% humidity. Stone Island , Beams, Canadian Extreme, Burberry and Fake London are some of the sports and outdoor brands with which the Oasis frontman has appeared on stage throughout the years of his early militancy. Last but not least, the news that the boy has just become an ambassador for Stone Island for the autumn winter 24/25 season. Then other models appeared like the peacoat, the windbreaker zip jacket, the beige trench coat with a coat of arms, denim jackets and leather and suede biker jackets. Let's say that the military-style multi-pocket parka , anorak or poncho is THE piece that perfectly defines that Liam from Oasis with his hands clasped behind his back like in a college choir and a tambourine around his neck like a tribal chief.
Oasis and the Fever for Noel and Liam's Block-Core Polos
Short or long sleeves, the polo shirt with a flat ribbed collar is another constant of the BritPop aesthetic that sooner or later appears in the wardrobe drawers of football fans, in those of Noel Gallagher and also in ours. Because that of Terrace culture, that is, the phenomenology of English ultras fans who populate the stands of stadiums during matches, today also called bloke-core , is one of the references that the two from Burnage, in Manchester, have wisely adopted with great skill and probably without even realizing it. Or, more romantically said, they have not even considered the idea of making an aesthetic choice with the desire to convey a sub-message. What you see, is what you get.
Bucket hat, a fisherman's hat and it's Oasis right away
Sloping, perfect for sloping off copious drops of rain, the bucket hat represents the other piece of the Oasis aesthetic that we cannot ignore in view of the '25 live tour. Born to protect fishermen and farmers from the elements and the sun in the early 1900s, in the '60s it became a code to distinguish oneself among the surfer and hippie communities. Then in the '90s, both on the American front of hip hop music and on the indie and British front of England, the bucket hat returned to being a real aesthetic element of identity, perhaps because it excluded the complete view of the world, because it was a magical protective cap from bad vibes. One brand above all: Kangol.
