Are football boots having their fast fashion moment?
- Sally McKendry
- Jul 16
- 6 min read
Football. Whether you’re a fan or a player, professional, Sunday league, or five aside after work - many of us know those game day feels. The air feels a little brighter, lighter, even if the weather outside’s not showing it.
Match day is always the BIG day of the week. Like many others, for me it’s only Sunday league, but I’ve still got those pre-game rituals. Beans on toast, maybe pasta, or maybe it’s just roll out of bed, get a coffee and go. In the UK it’s normally damp outside, drizzling. Maybe you’re lucky and you’ve woken up to a clear morning. You might be hungover, and this is the only thing forcing you out of bed. Or maybe this game has been your focus towards the week, what you’ve been waiting for, and you are primed ready to play.
Either way, professional or not, there’s a few things we have in common as well as getting that ball in the back of the net. You’re wearing your badge, club colours on, or maybe it’s a bib. You’ve got your (often crusty, stiff) socks on. Then last but definitely not least, if you’re fortunate enough to have access to them – your weapon of choice – the boots.
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Most of the time it’s squeeze your feet in, tie them up and ready to go. But for me, putting on those boots has often required one extra step - wrapping my boots up in tape. The not so perfect DIY fix for the seams of my boots splitting apart, as they always do by the end of one or two seasons. I’ve tried different brands, designs, sizes but they just don’t seem to be fit to last.
For the time being, the tape seems to be working. DIY repairs appear to be the case for many others as demonstrated in a recent study by Sokito. Sokito is an innovative football boot brand, going against the grain to do things differently for a more sustainable future in football boot production. They highlighted how the majority of players participating in their study took action to care for and extend the life of their boots. Players took action through cleaning practices, passing old boots on or donating boots, as well as taping up to repair like myself (Figure 1).
These small, everyday actions for many players are in stark contrast to the dominant messages received by consumers and fans of the game at the intersection of football and fashion. Here, new football-fashion pieces aren’t just dropped at the beginning of a season, a new tournament or campaign. Instead, often new products are dropped weekly through new player-brand collaborations, colour schemes, trends and in the supposedly latest new technology.
The pace of these drops is suggestive of a “fast fashion” mode of business, where brands keep the turnover rate of new products high, incentivising increased consumption. Sokito’s research reflected this “fast fashion” mode of business, documenting how many participants viewed the high levels of boot releases in 2024 negatively and that football was in fact having a “fast fashion moment” (Figure 2).
It’s not just high levels of consumption created, but also high levels of waste. The Or Foundation’s research into which brands dominate the waste stream demonstrates how brands who produce football boots play a major role in contributing to the textile waste stream, and therefore, waste colonialism. The Or Foundation’s 'Tag Ur It' campaign details how brands such as Nike and adidas frequently appear in the top ten brands dominating the textile waste stream in Accra, Ghana (Figure 3).
Sokito’s research indicated that consumer awareness and perceptions of this waste was mixed. Whilst some players neither agreed nor disagreed with statements surrounding football's contribution to textile waste, disproportionately more participants agreed that they were concerned about football’s contribution to textile waste, rather than disagreeing (Figure 2).
But people aren’t necessarily consuming new boots for trend – they’re a piece of equipment in the game, a necessary tool with footwear written into Law Four of the Laws of the Game. This might confuse categorising boot production into the “fast fashion” mode of business. For many, boots are created for functionality, not as a trend. Players participating in Sokito’s research reflected this, emphasising that football boots needed to be fit for the pitch. Of those who wouldn’t consider buying second hand boots 53% put this down to not trusting second hand boots quality (Figure 4).
So, for those who may normally engage in more ethical or sustainable consumption practices relating to textiles, fashion and footwear, football boots may be the space such players have to bite the bullet as a “one off”. Unfortunately, with football boots often not being designed to last, and football being played by many around the world, this “one off” action of consumption isn’t necessarily such a one-time thing. This is an ethical conundrum that frequently sits with me as a player; when there seems to be no other options, just how many times am I going to have to bite the bullet and distance myself from the negative impacts of the industry?
Additionally, football boots aren’t cheap, as fast fashion is often associated with. Football boots’ functionality within the game, and the need for them to be technically effective for control of the ball and grip on the ground, means the price of more highly technically performing boots can be priced higher and higher.
And so, just like whether the term “fast fashion” is an effective term to describe unsustainable modes of production is disputable, whether football boot production sits within fast fashion is disputed. Both the consumer and producer might distance themselves from the term “fast fashion”. However, ultimately most people are still having to pay significant money for football boots – if they can afford them – and they often don’t even last the season.
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In Sokito’s study, even though the majority of players try to make their boots last for as long as possible in various diverse ways, only 14% of participants have actually got their boots repaired (Figure 5). Aside from my own DIY taping of the boots, I’ve never got my boots repaired, and for me personally, I would have no idea where to go to get my boots repaired.
Sokito’s report highlights a similar barrier to repair by players, with 48% of participants considering the main barrier to repair being not knowing where to go. Other reasons included how it was easier to buy new and that repairs would be too expensive. Interestingly, only 3% of participants cited being concerned about how repaired boots would look as a dissuading reason (Figure 5).
These insights demonstrate the need for increased accessibility to boot repair services – who can repair football boots? Can boot repair services or cobblers connect with clubs and football organisations? Is more investment needed into how to repair boots? And of course, can the boots be designed to last longer? Can the boots be designed to be easily repairable?
Additionally, when questioned about what would incentivise players to get their next pair fixed, players highlighted their need for proof that getting their boots repaired would be worth doing (Figure 6).
When players wake up with that game day feeling, and squeeze on their weapon of choice before stepping out onto the pitch, they need to know these boots will help them grip the surface, control the ball and score a screamer in the top left-hand corner. What will provide this proof that it’s worth doing? Is it professional players? Brands? Seeing your mates get their boots repaired? Normalising the repair of boots to be suited for the pitch?
For many people, as Sokito’s research identified, players already try to extend the life of their boots to last as long as possible. It’s time we had more options for repair, not just wrapping boots up in tape.
The survey was put together by flocq for Sokito. Thanks to the participating CFAs and players who shared their thoughts about boots & sustainability.
Check out the full report