“I dress on feel,” Declan Rice tells me when I ask what personal style means to him. “I’m not a follower of trends, I like to have my own style.”
I’m speaking to Rice on a rainy August afternoon in South London, some two weeks into the new Premier League season.
The Arsenal and England midfielder — who is wearing a navy adidas Originals two piece and a pair of Wales Bonner adidas Sambas — is chilled, which is quite the feat considering that he’s one of most expensive English footballers in history following a $125 million move from West Ham to Arsenal earlier this year.
Despite his hefty price tag, 24-year-old Rice maintains the laid back, happy-go-lucky demeanor he’s become renowned for since breaking into West Ham’s first team in 2017. In fact, I can attest he comes on stronger than ever, based on the way I saw him nonchalantly do no-look keepy-ups while being photographed for the latest adidas Originals campaign prior to our chat.
If you aren’t au fait with Declan Rice, let me fill you in. After beginning his career as a part of the prestigious Chelsea academy aged 7, Rice moved to West Ham in 2013. Following the signing of his first professional contract at East London two years later, the midfielder has clocked up over 200 appearances for the Hammers and almost fifty England caps to date, leaving him barely any time to breathe, let alone keep up his impressive off-pitch attire.
Still, numbers aside, Rice’s approach to the beautiful game is arguably what’s most impressive. He’s relaxed, and clearly doesn’t take life too seriously; three traits you could also use to accurately describe his outlook on style.
“I tend to try two or three outfits every day,” he tells me. “Not because I don’t like something, but because I like to experiment. My personal style has changed a lot over the years. When I was younger it was all about designer labels, but I’m now a lot more streetwear-focused. More chilled.”
“I like to keep the…
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