Fashion has kicked-off this year’s FIFA World Cup by transporting the Trophy in a custom made case by Louis Vuitton and is scoring goals with men around the world thanks to Calvin Klein's World Cup boxer range. MFN has sought out the retailers in and around Manchester which are embracing the footie festivities.

World Cup themed collections have hit high street stores in the past couple of weeks, Missimo is one such brand which offers customers a tongue-in-cheek take on WAG culture. Vests feature slogans such as: “Wannabe WAG” and cartoon images depict England players like Wayne Rooney and, former England captain, David Beckham. Prices start at £14 and are available online and in store at the Warehouse concession in OUTFIT on Manchester Fort Retail Park.

Dorothy Perkins are currently stocking a premier league catalogue of clothing which both incorporates new pieces and pieces from their usual summer casual range. Vests and tees centre on the World Cup theme but are appropriately feminine in their interpretation; with the St. George’s Cross assembled from English Roses and the slogan: “I Heart England” in diamante. Prices start from £12 for a sleeveless top and £15 for a tee. Melanie, Store Manager of the Manchester Arndale branch, told MFN that sales currently only accounted for around £200 a week, but added that hopes were pinned on this weekend for a sudden upsurge in sales as The World Cup starts.

World Cup fever has also hit independent retailers who are aiming to cash in on the hype by offering discounts to customers throughout the event. 25Ten Boutique in Rochdale has been featured in fashion industry magazine Drapers recently for their “Give Football The Red Card” campaign; which aims to tackle “World Cup Widows” and their purse strings whist husbands abandon them for the local’s big screen. Kelly Turner-Mitchell, owner of the boutique on Cheetham Street, took time out of her holiday in Egypt to tell MFN about the campaign.
 
MFN: Can you explain a little bit more about the latest 25Ten 'Give Football the Red Card' campaign?

Kelly Turner-Mitchell: Women are largely forgotten about at this time and our campaign encourages all potential World Cup widows to escape from football and enjoy their very own 'extra time', in the form of retail therapy! During this time we will be running lots of in-store and online promotions.

MFN: Where did the idea come from?

KTM: Most campaigns around times like this are more often solely focused around men and as a woman sufferer, I wanted to do something just for the ladies!

MFN: Do you, yourself suffer from becoming a World Cup Widow?

KTM: I most certainly do - my Husband will definitely be tuning in as often as possible! I tend to fall victim also to Cricket, not to mention the recent Elections too - so I am a Football, Cricket and Political Widow all rolled in to one!

MFN: In terms of customer response, has 25Ten noticed higher foot fall and turnover increase since the campaign's launch?

KTM: The campaign is running from the beginning of June until the end of the World Cup, but will really take effect after the opening ceremony in a few days time and will really gain momentum when the TV coverage is almost ALL about football! We have however noticed a very strong start to the month in terms of both footfall and turnover, which is great.

MFN: Is involving the 25Ten brand in broad-scale events like The World Cup something you've tried before?

KTM: We have run events and campaigns prior to this, one of our most recent being 'Live Window Models' which gained national TV coverage. However, this is the first time that we have done anything directly linked with a large sporting event.

MFN: What do you hope the campaign will bring to 25Ten as it continues to run alongside The World Cup and in the future?

KTM: We are hoping that the campaign will continue to create brand awareness as well as more obviously pushing sales and increasing footfall in what could be seen to be potentially a challenging time when all media sources will be focused on football mania.

MFN: Would 25Ten be interested in further involvement in broad-scale events, such as The 2012 Olympics?

KTM: This is of course something we will be considering as the 2012 Olympics draw nearer, but for now, our focus is the success of this campaign, so fingers crossed!

 
As the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2010 descends on us; the only question MFN readers need ask is, what to wear?

Words by Jordan McDowell.

Twitter - @jordanjmcdowell

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