To bring the story of women’s football out of the shadows of the men’s game, Truant has launched ‘The Missing Shirt’, the first women’s England-inspired retro football shirt.

Women’s football has long been underfunded, underrepresented. The game was even banned altogether between 1921 to 1971. Until 2019, women were still playing in kits designed for men. 

Truant has launched ‘The Missing Shirt’ in partnership with ex-Lioness Claire Rafferty, British designer Hattie Crowther, and leading women’s sports retailer Foudys. The shirt has been designed to be more than a fashion statement. It seeks to shine a light on the story of women’s football and give women a shirt of their own.

The current Lionesses will have all grown up wearing shirts of the men’s game. Collecting retro shirts worn by legends like Beckham and Rooney but with no female equivalent. ‘The Missing Shirt’ strives to give the Lionesses of tomorrow and fans of women’s football a shirt that pays homage to the Lioness legends.

“When I played, we wore oversized, mismatched men's shirts; we had to adapt them, cutting and rolling the fabric just to make them fit. Looking back, I can’t even bring myself to look at my old World Cup shirts. They were hacked up and left me feeling neglected. These kits didn’t represent us. They didn’t honour our legacy," explains Claire Rafferty, Former England player. 

The Missing Shirt has been designed by British designer Hattie Crowther, known for her minimalist and heritage-led design ethos. She studied England shirts from 1990 to 2008 to create a shirt steeped in football nostalgia, but one that never previously existed for women.

The resulting kit is one that looks back in time to correct the record, giving long-overdue recognition to the generations of women who carried the game through invisibility. Where a crest would usually sit, the shirt remains blank. The words ‘Unsupported. Unaffiliated’ sit where an emblem would usually go. A striking reminder of the struggle and lack of institutional support women have long faced in the game. On the shoulders are the names of players from 1984 to 2019 who played without a dedicated England kit, honouring their contribution in carrying the game to where it is today. 

“This is the kit that should’ve existed. It’s about giving something back to the players who never had one, and making sure the next generation grows up with symbols of pride, not silence,” says Hattie Crowther, Artist and Designer. 

She continued: “I reimagined what was never made, a kit for the women who played without one. It’s strong, minimal, and symbolic of everything they stood for.”

The shirt is available at Style of Our Own, a football-focused retail concept store on Regent’s Street at Foudys, the first store in the world to be exclusively dedicated to women’s football kits. 

Proceeds from the sales of The Missing Shirt will go directly to supporting grassroots women’s football, ensuring that future generations can play with the resources, visibility and equality they deserve.

Shining a light on the invisible history of women’s sport to shape the game of the future, The Missing Shirt is a homage to the women who built the game, underlining the importance of representation and its power to shape the footballing stars of the future.