SINGAPORE - Gareth Southgate: English footballer, manager, and now, fashion trendsetter.

The dapper coach of the England team has inspired a run on waistcoats, after he was spotted sporting the item during England's matches at the World Cup.

British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S), the official suit supplier for the England team, had earlier reported a 35 per cent increase in waistcoat sales, British media reported.

And waistcoat mania has only grown ahead of England's semi-final clash against Croatia on Wednesday night (July 11),

Bloodwise, a British blood cancer research charity that has declared Wednesday as "Wear a Waistcoat Wednesday", called on supporters to show support for England by wearing a waistcoat and at the same time make a donation to the charity.

A check on the English site of M&S on Wednesday morning found that there were two similar waistcoats on offer that were part of the English Football Association collection. These waistcoats were similar to what Southgate has donned at matches, and were sold at £65 (S$117) each.

Only the XXXL size of the waistcoat's tailored fit variation was still available, while all sizes were still available for the slim fit variation.

M&S outlets in Singapore said that waistcoats are not currently available here.

Eager fans have jumped onto the Waistcoat Wednesday bandwagon on Twitter, although most did not directly relate to Bloodwise's message.

Twitter user Russell Hobbs said: "Wouldn't it be fabulous if we all went to work on Wednesday in a waistcoat to honour Gareth Southgate guiding England to a World Cup semi final? Let's gets #WednesdayWearaWaistcoat trending on Twitter and social media."

Another Twitter user Jeremy Vine posted: "Desperately looking for the right waistcoat for #WaistcoatWednesday."