Who would have thought that football shirts and K-Pop would collide in such a disastrous way? The rise of football shirts as a fashion statement and the growing influence of Korean pop music have taken the world by storm. But when the six-member K-Pop girl group STAYC attempted to jump on the celebrity football shirt bandwagon, things didn’t quite go as planned.
In a recent performance in Dallas, STAYC decided to show their love for the local teams by wearing their jerseys. With four teams to choose from, including the football Cowboys, basketball Mavericks, baseball’s Texas Rangers, and the Stars in ice hockey, the stylists opted for a mix of all three. However, a wardrobe malfunction led to one-third of the group wearing the 1996/97 home shirt of Glasgow Rangers, a Scottish football team.
It’s safe to say that this fashion mishap raised a few eyebrows. The choice of the Glasgow Rangers shirt, complete with the sponsor McEwan’s lager, was definitely unexpected. It’s not exactly the kind of drink you associate with Texas. But hey, at least the gig was in Dallas and not Belfast!
Despite the mix-up, the Glasgow Rangers shirt actually looked pretty cool. In fact, it’s currently being sold for £199.99 on Classic Football Shirts. However, the resale value of STAYC’s worn shirts has plummeted after they decided to vandalize the sleeves and lower sections, turning them into cropped tops. Even Gazza, the legendary footballer, would have respected Adidas more than that!
Now, some may argue that STAYC intentionally made this mix-up as a statement about the interchangeable nature of fandom identities in a globalized world. But let’s be real, it was probably just a case of late-night online shopping gone wrong. Regardless, the Rangers fans have embraced STAYC with open arms. One fan even declared, ‘OK, I will buy all their albums!’ Who knows, maybe this could lead to some interesting collaborations between K-Pop and football stars.
Celebrities wearing football shirts is nothing new, especially among musicians. It’s an easy way to win over an audience. In Scotland, it’s mostly Celtic and Rangers that dominate the celebrity football shirt scene. Stars like Mike Tyson, Gordon Ramsay, and Maya Jama have been spotted in Rangers shirts, while Rod Stewart, Martine McCutcheon, and Snoop Dogg have proudly worn the green and white hoops of Celtic. And let’s not forget David Hasselhoff’s inexplicable love for Partick Thistle.
As for STAYC, it’s unlikely that we’ll see them at Ibrox for the next Rangers match. But one thing’s for sure, their misguided attempt to cosplay as sports fans may have been embarrassing, but at least they’re not politicians!