A look back at NFL fashion from the 80's and 90's

Once upon a time, I worked for Sears Holdings Corporation, which owns Sears department stores, Kmart stores, Kenmore, Craftsman and Die Hard brands. For much of the 20th century, Sears was essentially Amazon, featuring both a huge brick-and-mortar retail operation and a robust catalog business. They proudly call themselves the world’s largest retailer, and for much of their existence, that has been true.

Sears was innovated by internet giants like Amazon when it was acquired by hedge fund billionaire Eddie Lampert, who saw value in its real estate portfolio, as a victim of an all-too-common leveraged corporate raid scheme. , ushered in the death of a common enterprise. , just before the real estate crash. It didn’t work.

For all things Sears, nearly every 80’s and 90’s kid has fond memories of the Sears wishbook (and, to be fair, the JCPenney equivalent). The Christmas Catalog was a masterclass in creating children’s desire for the latest action figures, dolls, video games, electronics, and (for us, fortunately) sports-related fashion. Sears recently auctioned off much of the remains of their former headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and I was able to get my hands on some Wishbooks from his 1987 to his 1993 or so. This is partly for nostalgic reasons, partly for research purposes and partly because these things actually made a good amount of money on eBay. , thought it might be fun to see how much sports fashion has changed.

Conservative, mustache 1987

Start with a basic color and a large block of color.

Who needs a custom logo when you can have a star and some sort of comic book baseball version of your favorite team’s name? But the 80’s can be wild too. Can you imagine a grown man literally wearing this?

Believe it or not, there was a time when Snoopy was as famous as Mickey Mouse, and the NFL was trying to ride on the popularity of Snoopy’s “Joe Cool” iteration. The difference between regular Snoopy and Cool Joe is literally sunglasses.

But also a nightshirt! Can you imagine? A bunch of pantsless guys relaxing on the couch with their games on. 1987 – Free and Easy.

1988: Mesh Debuts, Snoopy’s Reign Continues

Here at Acme Packing Company, we are fans of the “mesh” route concept. This is essentially a cross pattern where one receiver acts as a pick for the other receiver. Here various APC members say, “Run mesh until you can’t” on every podcast. Perhaps this should be our shirt.

Mesh cover-ups on Giants jerseys are just getting started and will dominate the rest of the ’80s, but we’re still working on Snoopy.

But it wasn’t just the guys hanging out that defined 1988. Multisport Block He’s wearing a sweatshirt. Bearsman is very enthusiastic, as if he knows what will happen in a few years. heyday? they are nearing the end.

It’s also worth noting how little the Packers take this into account.Prefavre, they weren’t really on the national radar. The 49ers, Bears, Giants and Washingtons dominate the wishbook photos. It was really another time.

1989: Bears Last Stand

In 1988, the Bears and 49ers went head to head in the NFC Championship Game. This catalog is full of Bears gear, and in 1989 he was released amid a disappointing 6-10 follow-up.

We still have some meshes, but best of all, the basketball section gives us our first glimpse of the craziness the ’90s bring.

1990 and 1991: Everything Yelling at You

There are also 80s carryovers featuring old school sporting goods and acid wash jeans.

We also get our first glimpse into the Aggro 90s.

But most importantly, you’re getting one of the greatest breakthroughs in fashion history.That’s right

time

for

Zubaz!

Most of you know what Zubaz are, since the ironic nostalgia factor is off the charts with them, but if you’re just learning, zebra-striped parachute pants for a short period of time. Please know that was all the rage.

1992: Zubers, and the fusion of other sports.

The 1992 catalog had as much hockey as any other sport, which is strange when you think about it now. Hockey was a regular feature on ESPN. The LA Kings were at their peak thanks to Wayne Gretzky, and the NHL and NHLPA video games were really picking up steam.

Zubaz is still going strong and expanding into a cozy NBA.

The NFL is witnessing significant advancements in Zuba technology, but Zubaz is sweating.

while the college ball attends the aggro party in front of you.

Now let’s jump a little to 1997. This is due to a slight gap in my catalog.

1997: Packers arrive

A year after the Packers’ first Super Bowl, many of these burgeoning trends have reached a climax. There’s Starter, the brand that defined much of the ’90s.

And Wishbook has a lot of actual jerseys that are starting to take off. That’s it. I think it has played a role in defining the look of the Green Bay natives for at least a decade. Maybe two.