Oasis UK tour: The best Britpop fashion of the era
As Oasis gear up for their highly-anticipated UK tour, it’s not just their songs that are bringing back memories.
Frontman Liam Gallagher’s parka became part of Nineties uniform, while brother Noel’s Adidas zip-ups and baggy windbreakers defined Britpop fashion.
Britpop emphasised anti-glamour, pulling away from the over-stylised pop bands of the past and forming a new look through vintage sportswear, bucket hats and mod heritage.
Oasis led the charge with branded sportswear and baggy – bordering on sloppy – silhouettes, forming a new look that became synonymous with ‘lad culture’.
When Oasis first came onto the scene in 1993, releasing Definitely Maybe in 1994 – which became the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time – their style was noticeably unnoticeable.
While Oasis were experiencing a meteoric rise for their volatile antics and stellar alternative/pop rock sound, another spearhead of Britpop was a Southern band called Blur.
By 1994, the commercial success of Blur’s hit ‘Parklife’, was seen as Britpop’s defining record.
The release of ‘Country House’ in 1995 was said to begin the public rivalry between Blur and Oasis, which was dubbed the “Battle of Britpop”.
The debate over which band would top the British singles chart became a media phenomenon, with Albarn even appearing on the News at Ten.
At the end of the week, ‘Country House’ ultimately outsold Oasis’ ‘Roll With It’ by 274,000 copies to 216,000, becoming Blur’s first number one single.
By the late Nineties, both bands had clear camps of fans. Oasis was viewed with more raw identity in contrast to Blur’s art-school persona, and this was reflected in their fashion.
Oasis’ nonchalant attitude to their on-stage style was pared-back and intentionally unpretentious.
Blur, on the other hand, strayed from simply sportswear, incorporating mod and casual pieces, which Albarn himself has described as “mod-ual”.
By the millennium, the bands’ increasing fame had them caricatured by papers, talk shows and satirical programmes like Spitting Image.
While Definitely Maybe was reaching its 10th anniversary, growing tensions between members of Oasis had begun to surface.
Long-time drummer Alan White, who at this time had played on nearly all of the band’s material, had been asked to leave the band and was replaced by Zak Starkey, the son of Ringo Starr.
The beginning of the Noughties saw a breakdown of Britpop, as Blur’s Graham Coxon left the group in 2002 leading to a hiatus, and Oasis dramatically split in 2009.
Two decades on, the fashion of Britpop remains as culturally resonant as the music itself – casually cool and unmistakably British.
As Oasis return to the stage, it’s a reminder that Britpop wasn’t just about sound, but character and identity.