Arsenal's Parlour games

Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour might not have a late acting career in mind, but his performance is this wickedly funny mockumentary for the club's new Retro Collection range is so good it might be worth thinking about.

Created through agency Weirdo, Ray Parlour: Creative Director sees 'The Romford Pelé' take on the fashion industry in a film that sees entertaining bon mots interspersed with cameos from Arsenal players Martin Ødegaard, William Saliba, Oleksandr Zincheko and Eddie Nketiah.

The film, directed by duo Crooked Cynics (collaborators of People Just Do Nothing’s Kurupt FM), launches alongside a parody of a hi-fashion pop-up at the corner of Brewer Street and Air Street (the heart of London’s streetwear culture hub), hosting world cup screenings, meet and greets and entertainment for Arsenal members, including special appearances from Parlour himself.

“This was a key retail launch at the trickiest time for a football club – competing for attention against the World Cup and Christmas retail campaigns," notes Weirdo Co-Founder and Creative Director, Louis Persent. "We wanted to be entertaining and side-step the usual launch approach. So we spoke to fans and the collection’s retro focus got us thinking about the way football and fashion have changed over the last twenty years; how intertwined they've become. 

"We wanted to connect the opposite ends of this journey - uniting a past legend with the cultural context of 2022, when football clubs release drop after drop of new merch and reality TV stars get parachuted in as Creative Directors. Being able to work across experiential, stills and long-form storytelling has been a privilege. Credit to Arsenal for committing to the joke with such trust in us.”