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Happy and laborious - Patterns of Play x Corbin Shaw celebrate romance of England fans
1 game down, at least 2 (and hopefully many more) to go.
England kicked off their Euro 2020 campaign in textbook fashion with a 1-0 win over Croatia, and all the fires of pre-tournament optimism will be impossible to put out from now on.
There’s an intoxicating, all-consuming romance that exists between England and their fans. Every couple of years (if we ignore the occasional qualification mishaps) the country unites in a state of delirious optimism, believing that football is truly coming home again whilst in the knowledge that we will inevitably fall at the final (or should that be semi/quarter-final) hurdle.
Creative studio Patterns of Play and artist Corbin Shaw have celebrated this complicated, emotional relationship with a project encompassing all that it means to support England.
In a series of flags adorned with the lyrics of a reimagined national anthem, the joys and trials of English fandom are laid bare for all to see.
“Happy and laborious”, “Long to rain over us”, each flag captures the highs and lows in a frank but brilliant way. In the words of Patterns of Play x Corbin Shaw, each flag is packaged inside a clear plastic bag “to mock the throw away nature of Euros and World Cup promotional material”.
As if that wasn’t enough, the flags (which are limited in number) come presented inside a 20 page parody newspaper, which itself documents the rollercoaster ride that is England fandom.
A series of fantastic photos help tell the story of the project, and we were excited to be asked to provide some vintage kits for the shoot. Now all that’s left to do is to grab a flag to wipe away the beer and/or tears that will flow this summer.
Want to pick up a Patterns of Play x Corbin Shaw flag? Head over to patternsofplay.co.uk
Check out our own collection of hand-picked vintage shirts, including some England classics, on our store. You can browse them here.
