March 27th 2024.
Back in 2002, David Beckham's ever-changing hairstyles were the talk of the town, each one marking a different moment in pop culture history. However, one of his most iconic looks was actually inspired by none other than Travis rocker Fran Healy.
As we all remember, that was the year when Beckham was representing England in the World Cup held in South Korea and Japan. By that time, he had already debuted a more extreme version of the mohawk the year before, but his strict manager Sir Alex Ferguson forced him to shave it off. However, for the World Cup, Beckham sported a more subtle version of the mohawk, known as the Hoxton Fin, which quickly became a popular trend in the noughties.
While many believed that Beckham had started this trend, it turns out that he actually got the idea from Fran Healy, who was 50 years old at the time. The two had a chance encounter in a Toys R Us car park, where Fran was sporting the Hoxton Fin haircut. And just two weeks later, Beckham was seen with the same hairstyle at the World Cup.
Fran recently shared this amusing anecdote on the Restless Natives podcast, recalling how he met Beckham in the car park and had a brief chat before the footballer went on to copy his haircut. "The mohawk one that Beckham took and ran off with. Do you know how that happened?" Fran joked.
As it turns out, Beckham was recovering from a nail-biting leg injury just before the World Cup, and he and his wife Victoria were at the toy store celebrating. "They came out of that Toys R Us like they'd won the jackpot in Crackerjack," Fran recalled. "I've never seen so many toys in my life, and I had just had that haircut. He was like, 'Hello, mate!' I've never met him before, and I'm like, 'Oh my god, how's your foot?' And you know, we chatted for a minute."
And just like that, Beckham became the unwitting trendsetter for the Hoxton Fin, while Travis had already been sporting it during their successful third album, The Invisible Band. Now, as the band prepares to release their 10th studio album and go on tour with The Killers, this fun and unexpected connection between Beckham and Fran continues to be a talking point in pop culture.
But who would have thought that all those boys getting the same haircut were actually copying a rockstar and not their football idol? It just goes to show that inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. And as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
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