Changing the game with Manchester United Women and designer Lydia Bolton
We linked up with designer Lydia Bolton, who has reworked this season’s Manchester United 2022/23 adidas kits alongside other apparel and accessories, into unique pieces that you simply won’t find anywhere else. And naturally, we had to show them off in style with the help of some of our Reds.
We caught up with Lydia to celebrate the range, ahead of our WSL game against Aston Villa at Old Trafford this weekend, which you can get tickets for here.
Lydia, tell us a little bit about yourself...
“Hi! I am a slow fashion designer, up-cycler and sustainable fashion creator. I started my fashion brand in 2019 which is centred around remaking and reusing second-hand and unwanted textiles. I love patchworking different fabrics together to create new, one-of-a-kind pieces that people will cherish forever. I also collaborate with brands and businesses to tackle textile waste and create new meaning in existing materials to save them from being wasted.”
Where did your interest in sustainable clothing come from?
“I was brought up by waste-aware and eco-conscious parents, especially my mum, and as one of the youngest of four siblings, wearing hand-me-downs and clothing from charity shops was always part of how I dressed. This continued into my teens and enjoyed thrifting and vintage shopping. I did also shop in high street shops but would love doing challenges where I’d only shop second-hand for months. I went on to study Fashion Design at Kingston University and realised my personal values of loving sustainable fashion weren’t factored into my work. I worked as a design assistant at House of Holland and after two years there, I began to see the disconnect between how I lived in my personal life and being passionate about sustainability. I wanted my career to be more aligned with these values, so, I decided to quit my job and pivot my career to focus on sustainable fashion, which led me to set up my own brand focusing on reusing textiles.”
What was the inspiration for creating this latest up-cycled Manchester United x adidas collection?
“I like the textiles I am working with to lead and inform my design process, so this was the starting point for me. I assessed the fabrics and styles of the kits and played around to see what I thought matched well together visually and textually. I wanted the pieces to be a patchwork of the different kits and give a lifestyle approach to the sports pieces so that they could be worn every day. I made this collection for a super fan who loves the game and proudly wears their team’s pieces everywhere.”
Do you think that the worlds of fashion and football are merging together?
“Yes! I think there is such a fab overlap of fashion and football - as so many of us wear sporty, football-influenced styles in our day-to-day lives. With the rise of fashion designers and sports brand collaborations that are creating designer kits and collections, the two are constantly merging.”
Which item was the most fun to design?
“I loved creating the puffer jacket the most! It was really fun doing a patchwork of the different textures and mixing in the jerseys with the scarf to create something really unique and cool.”
And what about the most challenging?
“The puffer jacket was also the most challenging piece! I unpicked the original coat which took a bit of time and I made sure the zip and other elements were all able to be reused. I created a patchwork on top of each panel of the jacket, wrapping it in the jerseys and scarf. I then stitched the puffer coat back together, re-stitching in the zip, hood and lining, which I had unpicked from the original jacket.”
“Each piece took different amounts of time to create due to different levels of detail - the jacket took about two days, the shirt took just over a day and the bag took a day! Upcycling and remaking tends to be a much slower process as there are so many more steps to include like unpicking and designing within the restrictions of the garment you’re remaking. Plus, attention to detail is really important to me and I carefully consider the placement and decision of each fabric.”
How important is it to represent your style in your own way?
“As a designer, I think my style naturally comes through in all I create. My personal style is a real mix of sporty, retro, playful and cute - probably reflective of growing up and wearing clothes from all over the place!”
“It was amazing! It was so incredible to watch the Lionesses win and bring so much attention to women's football. It brought so much more focus to the women’s game and helped emphasize the greatness of women playing football and get people excited about women’s football for years to come.”