Rugby shirts are as ubiquitous as matcha lattes and Labubus these days. The classic collegiate-coded pullovers, known for their starchy white collars, long sleeves and horizontal stripes, are showing up far beyond the pitch, from the street to runways, and even at A-list events.
But despite its immense popularity right now, the trend didn’t just appear out of nowhere. Molly Rooyakkers, an Amsterdam-based researcher who uses data to forecast fashion trends, observed the preppy staple gaining steam around 2020, back when blokecore and blokette — styles inspired by football culture in the United Kingdom — dominated fashion spaces. “While football jerseys were the hallmark of [those esthetics], people were also experimenting with other sportswear, including the rugby shirt,” she told CBC Life.
In Canada, Montreal-based fashion stylist Racky Sow noticed the rise of rugby shirts around 2022, specifically when Kotn’s ongoing collaboration with Barbarian, a Canadian rugby shirt manufacturer, caught her eye. Next up was the leather iteration at Pharrell Williams’s Spring 2024 menswear collection for Louis Vuitton, she said, which “really confirmed how far the trend had come and cemented rugby shirts in the global fashion spotlight.”
Fast forward to 2025, and there’s no escaping the sporty pullover. It resurfaced during the Fall 2025 shows: at Simone Rocha trimmed with ruffles, at Tory Burch with cuffs rolled up at the wrists, and at Kent & Curwen elongated into a coat. At Michael Rider’s buzzy debut collection for Celine, shown back in July, oversized rugbys were coupled with slim-cut pants, eliciting an ’80s vibe. And naturally, a crisp maroon rugby shirt stamped with the iconic LV monogram was one of the standout pieces in Williams’s latest fall capsule collection for the French brand.
Celebs, too, are chasing prep-school vibes. In late August, model Kaia Gerber paired a fitted rugby-striped polo sweater with a miniskirt and riding boots. In September, actor Hailee Steinfeld attended a screening of Sinners wearing a forest green and navy blue–striped rugby shirt and coordinating skirt. And that same month, Rihanna — an early adopter of the trend, having sported rugby shirts since at least 2023 — was snapped in a casual grey–striped Miu Miu rugby coupled with baggy low-waisted jeans.
A glimpse at the numbers indicates that the trend is continuing to grow. In Canada, Pinterest searches for the style are up 300 per cent compared to last year, with both millennials and Gen Z serving as the prime demo for this trend, Rooyakkers said. But why?
For one, sport is having a huge moment in the cultural zeitgeist, with the release of films like Challengers and stars like Taylor Swift (who recently got engaged to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce) influencing NFL viewership. The rugby shirt trend is a natural extension of this fascination, “without being overly performance-focused,” said Sow. This allows wearers to experiment with different colours, silhouettes and styling choices, essentially making them their own.
Then there’s the way these pieces can contribute to a sense of collective identity. “People connect to the colours, logos and designs that represent their country, hometown or community. Rugby shirts carry that same symbolism and I think that that’s the real allure,” Sow said.
Another factor driving the rugby shirt’s reign is the swing toward more traditional and classic fashion (read: preppy) as of late. Contrary to the blokecore esthetic, which leans heavily on casual streetwear and athletic staples, Rooyakkers feels the rugby has taken on a more preppy vibe these days, reminiscent of J.Crew catalogues. “I think that this turn to preppyness is perhaps because people are done with the relentlessness of the trend cycle the past few years,” she said. “People want to purchase pieces that seem more ‘timeless.’”
Which raises the question: are rugby shirts actually timeless? With the way sport has been increasingly intersecting with fashion, Sow doesn’t think the style will be going anywhere anytime soon. “More and more people who aren’t necessarily following sports are wearing jerseys and uniforms of all kinds,” she said. “So while rugby shirts might have their peak moments, the reality is that they are part of a larger movement where sportswear has become a staple for wardrobes that is here to stay.”
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