Football of Fashion: Lois Saunders, designer
Cutting up a football scarf, no matter how cheap or acrylic or heartlessly half and half, is sacrilege right? Wrong, at least when Lois Saunders is doing it. The 21-year-old has been making waves on Instagram and Depop, by upcycling this universally wearable and very collectible football memorabilia into cute co-ords, plunging lace-up vest tops, mini skirts and more. Prices start at £30 and Saunders is expanding and experimenting with different crop top lengths and matching hats at the moment, they’re flying out of her Depop store as soon as she uploads them. ‘All of my current designs are made out of recycled football scarfs,’ explains the final year fashion student, who is based in Manchester and keen to stress that the scarves she uses aren’t new. ‘In the time that we are living in, sustainability is very important to keep in mind so I want to use recycled materials as much as possible.’ So all the new season scarves in official shops and matchday stalls are safe and she’s proactively tackling the football merch waste issue.
How Saunders’ burgeoning football fashion business came about is flukier than Darren Bent’s infamous beach ball goal back in 2009. ‘I started exploring my football scarf vest idea a few months ago. I was hunting through some secondhand shops, Manchester has some great ones, and I randomly came across a football scarf with Nemanja Matic’s face on it. The colours were really cool and, originally, I just wanted to make a top for myself out of it. However, after posting it in my Instagram Stories, I suddenly had a queue of people requesting their own. I managed to find a lot of secondhand scarves online and that’s when it all began really. Depop is a great platform for young creatives to sell their work on, anyone can join!’ The designer models her designs too and has already shot some stunning editorials placing them in different contexts and on different body types. So what’s next for Saunders, besides moving down to London post graduation? ‘I have a few shops in London who are interested in stocking my designs so that would be a great achievement for me. I would love to have my own show at London Fashion Week and to grow my brand into a recognisable name would be fabulous. I also want to maintain a sustainable theme within my designs.’
Here, Saunders talks us through her football fashion journey so far.
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into fashion.
Lois Saunders: I have always been super close to my mum Kate. She bought me dressing up clothes and took me to Graduate Fashion Week when I was a kid. I was about eight the first time we went. We lived in Penge (South East London) then moved to Canterbury – lots of countryside and beautiful beaches in neighbouring towns. Canterbury isn’t far from London so I have always been able to go to creative exhibitions and fashion events, they led me to fashion design. Both my parents are creative and encouraged me to find my own direction.
What’s your football timeline?
Lois Saunders: My earliest football memory is being taken to the pub to watch a game with my family as a kid. I love the competitive atmosphere. To be honest, I’m not that into football, I admire the sport and love how it brings a community together. My family all support Arsenal so I reckon I would join them, and the Arsenal scarfs I have found and used in my designs have been my favourite. I Iike to see women playing sports like football that have been male-dominated in the past. It empowers women and that is something I want my designs to portray.
311 Likes, 4 Comments - 1XBLUE (@lois1xblue) on Instagram: "New lace up top and matching beanie available on my Depop now 🔫 VEST IS SOLD"
How do you make your pieces?
Lois Saunders: I start by seatching eBay to see what interesting scarfs I can find, I look for ones that have bright colours with lots of text or a footballer's face on it. Once they arrive, I cut the side seam to open it up to make one large rectangle of fabric and then lay my pattern pieces down and make the fabric fit within. I use an overlocker to sew all the parts together. It creates a mismatch style which I really like.
Who/what inspires you?
Lois Saunders: Brands that upcycle/ recycle garments such as Marine Serre – her work inspired me to try and recycle materials myself.
118 Likes, 6 Comments - 1XBLUE (@lois1xblue) on Instagram: "@davvycooper in her vest I sold her a while back 💙"
Describe your all-time favourite piece. Who would you love to see wearing your designs and why?
Lois Saunders: My favourite vest was made from this vintage Robin van Persie pink scarf I found on eBay. It had the slogan 'Don't Cha wish you had a striker like R.V.P Don't Cha’ on the back which I thought was funny as it was a The Pussycat Dolls reference. I posted it on my Instagram account and it got purchased within two minutes. I would love to see Adesuwa Aighewi (a model and filmmaker) wearing my designs, her style is so cool!
Finally, how do fashion and football mix for you going forward?
Lois Saunders: Sportswear in fashion has become really popular because sustainability has been such an important demand. Upcycling sportswear is an easy way to make unused garments wearable again. A lot of football scarfs I've used have been custom to one game, so they become a throwaway item afterwards unless the buyer wears it to reminisce. It's cool to make clothes out of these old scarfs as it makes the clothing nostalgic.
Words: Felicia Pennant
Images: Lois Saunders