For many reasons, it would be a mistake or a lack of honesty on the part of the Brazilian designer Ronaldo Fraga to present a fashion collection inspired by Soccer, in the later part of the year 2013 or even in the upcoming 15 years.

By the end of the year 2016, Brasil, the biggest economy in the Latin American Region, would have hosted the FIFA Confederations Cup (2013), The World Cup (2014) and the Olympic Games (2016), in that order.

F.U.T.E.B.O.L is a fashion collection inspired by the fantastic stories of the world’s most popular sport, it would have to be conceived, made and presented before any of these events took place in Fraga’s home country of Brazil: The collection was presented in São Paulo during the Verão (Summer) Fashion Week in March 19th, 2013).

And, while some might ask, what would Fashion and Soccer have in common? Well, for starters, Fashion and Design have the quality to draw inspiration in all and everyone. However, this time, we find a situation in which a Designer carefully avoids the celebration of these tournaments or of famous figures and fashion clichés related to the sport: like the Fashion spreads of David Beckham, the nouveau riche outfits of Cristiano Ronaldo (or his abs, for that matter), the italian tailored suits Lionel Messi wears to award shows; historic events like the Famous Maracanazo, or even the alltime star figures of the sport: Pelé or Maradona.

To the credit of Fraga, -known for his explorations of different subjects that can range from Political History of Brazil, Popular Culture, the Heritage of Latin America, the work of Renowned European Artists, or just about anything-, F.U.T.E.B.O.L is the result of his exploration of the other side of the sport, mostly from the heritage of the historical side of Soccer, that is not going to be celebrated in the upcoming #WorldCup Brazil 2014: but the stories of local small town teams , some stories, he even inherited from his own father, a Brazilian soccer player from the 1950's, the legends of small teams with their own “big” stars and epic stories of success and failure; the life-long loyalties that these teams inspired, this is what inspires him.

Fraga understands that this heritage is not just personal to him: the tradition of small town soccer teams belongs to people just about any country where the sport is popular, mostly in countries that adopted this sport early on in the late XIX Century and early XX Century. For generations now, people have adopted the traditional teams, colours and chants: the culture. So in a way his proposal becomes universal: the images of the past acquire another aesthetic meaning, just the way a film director or a photographer tries to filter images made in the present to portray the past or try to recreate it, by using black, white and sepia; as a way to emulate the look, but never to replace the originals.

For his collection, Ronaldo Fraga tries to incorporate all distinctive elements of the culture of soccer: the clothes, the team symbols, the conventions. However, his decision to use non traditional materials and non traditional colours, shapes, techniques and textures, permeates the entire show, he goes as far, as to create the external signs of imaginary teams. All these elements, allow him to reflect on the activity from the side of memory and nostalgia by creating garments that have very little in common with the traditional uniforms, but with the experience of those who remember the good old times of the sport.

When we think of a female clothing collection inspired by such a specific activity, logic would make us expect a repetition of known logos, textiles, colours and in general, the silhouettes of the uniforms we have seen a thousand times on the media.

However, Fraga approaches his subject from a more artisanal point of view: since he is inspired by sporting clothes and an aesthetic from more than half a century ago, the designs he achieves resemble something entirely different, it is fashion and design at their purest form: the clothes do not resemble theatrical costumes either, and they’re not related to the aesthetic of current soccer or sporting wear. He finds success in the way that the clothes retain the spritit of this sport by also avoiding clichés, while also being feminine, this is an episode worth being celebrated.

A transcendent part of the History of Brazilian Soccer is also well documented in the Collection: the dissolution of racial and economic boundaries that prevailed in the sport in Brazil; that for decades prevented black players and the poor, to have access to the sport as players, and not just mere spectators. This boundary, not particular of Soccer or Brazil, has prevailed in other sports in other parts of the planet, it has been also well documented for the case of countries like the USA and South Africa. But to this day, Ronaldo Fraga seems to have been the sole commentator of this matter through fashion and design, specifically with the use of complementing pieces, such as wigs made out of stainless steel wool, worn by models of all ethnicities, shoes that were deliberately designed to resemble worn out sneakers, accesories inspired by nets and balls and radios.

The careful setting of the show, included live music of Uruguayan and Argentinian bandoneon melodies, of course: we cannot forget that Soccer or Football, came from England and Europe, to America, but it was in this part of the World, where it first acquired its mythic dimensions.

A video can be seen in this link