The casual subculture's incorporation of designer clothing and fashion emerged in the late 1970s, with Liverpool youth gaining recognition for their unique style of Tracksuit jackets, straight-leg jeans, and Adidas trainers. According to eyewitnesses, this trend expanded greatly in the 1980s as a means of protesting the dreary and dismal state of UK society. Suddenly, thousands of young men between their teens and late twenties were flaunting labels that had not garnered much attention before. Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Ellesse, Sergio Tacchini, Lois, Lotto, Pringle, Fred Perry, Burberry and Aquascutum, amongst others, were considered expensive purchases, but were quickly gaining mass appeal as retailers gleefully capitalized on their high demand.