How Aitor Throup took the football terrace to the runway and beyond

Although he was born in Argentina, Aitor Throup is a Burnley man through and through. Moving to the Lancashire town when he was 12, Burnley’s football terraces have long-served as a source of inspiration for the artist and designer who has collaborated with Stone Island, C.P Company and more over the course of his 22-year-career.

Part of what makes Aitor so appealing is his ability to link opposites: womenswear tailoring with men’s streetwear or eastern religion with western football culture. His most popular designs, though, have come from merging the aesthetics of footie fans with futuristic engineering. Think pimped-up Gallagher parkas with diaphanous panelling and a reimagining of C.P Company’s goggle jacket, which has historically served as both a fashion statement and a disguise for football hooligans.

Now, a retrospective exhibition showing as part of the British Textile Biennial seeks to tell the story of Aitor’s creative journey through over a hundred garments and accessories.

The title of the exhibition, FROM THE MOOR, comes from a Burnley FC chant referring to local stadium Turf Moor. For Aitor, it’s both a declaration of belonging and a provocation. ​“As an immigrant who was adopted by the town as a 12-year-old boy, I’m proud of these roots and declare them as my origin,” he says. ​“On the other hand, it contradicts itself by playing on the term ​‘moor’, signifying the non-white invaders of Europe between 711 and 1492 AD.”

The exhibition is hosted at Burnley’s grade II listed Empire Theatre building – though the previously grand theatre has become run-down and neglected, for the artist, it’s the perfect backdrop to his work. ​“It reminds us of what once was; and therefore of what could be again,” he says. ​“To shine light on it is to shift our focus into that of hope – something that is very much needed in often under-resourced working class towns such as Burnley.”

An optimistic look towards the future combined with nods to what has come before are tangible features of Aitor’s designs; whether it’s the hooded Dune-esque jackets inspired by Mongolian horse riders or hoodies based on the elephant-headed Hindu god of wisdom.

But for Aitor, it’s his hometown that really lies at the heart of this exhibition. ​“For me to bring my work back to the town is a reminder to the people of Burnley that we should be proud to put in the hard work, and to protect our integrity,” he concludes. ​“If you commit to both these things, the sky’s the limit. Even when the rain is pouring we must keep looking up at the sky.”

If that sounds like your cup of tea, FROM THE MOOR is open at Burnley’s Empire Theatre until the 2^nd November