Every four years the eyes and attention of the world are centred around a group of men playing football and trying their best to make their country proud. The World Cup is one of those events everyone eagerly awaits for many reasons: having an excuse to turn any random day and any hour into a celebration, meeting friends and family more often than usual and reigniting a sense of belonging towards our own country that is sometimes hard to keep alive due to everything going on everywhere. Football transcends borders, and its spirit transcends disciplines, and fashion plays a key part in it as well. If you dress well, you are confident, and if you are confident, you play well. Here are five collaborations between brands and teams that probably make the players and the fans feel as good as they look.
Mexico and Willy Chavarria
A designer who has been particularly vocal about how proud he is of his origins is Willy Chavarria, who doesn't miss a chance to incorporate, in his designs and shows, symbols, elements and attire from Mexican culture. Whether it is through literal references to the Chicanos, one of the biggest signs of identity of the brand, or the subtle incorporation of prints or details, Mexico is ever-present in New York Fashion Week, where the designer most commonly presents. Now taking this sentiment to a global scale with football as the excuse and the current World Cup taking place in North America, Willy has partnered with Adidas once again to dress up the Mexico national football team.
Under the name Comienza Con El Sueño (Starts with the Dream), the collection taps into the optimistic and dreamy Mexican spirit and blends it with another of their signature elements, the colour, the culture, the rhythm and the spice always present in everything they do. With a very street-focused style, the same style Willy tends to use in his own work, the attire follows the oversize, slouchy style we know him for across garments of all typologies, from traditional uniforms to blazers, button-up shirts, crew necks and a big and attractive focus on complements, like scarves and caps.
Korea and Peaceminusone
Korea doesn't leave anything to chance when it comes to aesthetics and always manages to craft and curate some of the most interesting and visually compelling stories no matter the occasion or the requirements. When it comes to football, the passion for style and beauty matches perfectly the passion for their national team. Another symbol of their country and a figure as recognised and highly praised as the team, G-Dragon, the K-pop idol of K-pop idols, and his brand, Peaceminusone, have united forces with Nike to create a collection The Red Devils — as the supporters of the team are called — can wear to root for their team with burning passion and the best style.
The striking and artistic campaign that, just by the colours, the saturation and the direction, we can tell has been captured by Cho Giseok features G-Dragon himself alongside other renowned Korean icons like aespa’s Karina or football player Hwang Hee-chan. The capsule includes elevated basics like short-sleeved white shirts or black, red and striped t-shirts alongside other standout and more daring garments like the tracksuits with daisies printed all over them, this being the signature flower of the label, present in their branding and almost every design. The Tigers of Asia have the best of their country rooting for them.
The striking and artistic campaign that, just by the colours, the saturation and the direction, we can tell has been captured by Cho Giseok features G-Dragon himself alongside other renowned Korean icons like aespa’s Karina or football player Hwang Hee-chan. The capsule includes elevated basics like short-sleeved white shirts or black, red and striped t-shirts alongside other standout and more daring garments like the tracksuits with daisies printed all over them, this being the signature flower of the label, present in their branding and almost every design. The Tigers of Asia have the best of their country rooting for them.
Spain and Loewe
The vibrant and instantly identifiable colours that Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have been bringing to Loewe's runways in their tenure as creative directors jump outside the fashion circles into the football one in a partnership with the Spanish national football team that will extend for four years. For the first time the brand associates itself officially with the sports world in almost two centuries of history; this comes across as a moment where the brand resorts to an adjacent strategy to speaking the Gen Z language and being updated with every latest trend and adopts the sense of belonging the World Cup ambience gives to the masses to establish a subtle but very present position within the zeitgeist.
"Is Loewe a Spanish brand? Wasn't it French?" may come as an unspeakable, borderline offensive question for us fashion heads but as a genuine one for many outside the small industry circle, and the fact that Loewe is a proudly Spanish brand with an immense heritage acquires so much more meaning when everyone is able to understand it and interiorise it. In this way, some of the biggest players of the country, like Pau Cubarsí, Pedri, Unai Simón, Rodri or Nico Williams, wearing complete attire of tailored suits, sporty t-shirts and leather bags and shoes, become the perfect image and representation of the fashion made in Spain that accompanies its country of origin into every important moment of its history.
"Is Loewe a Spanish brand? Wasn't it French?" may come as an unspeakable, borderline offensive question for us fashion heads but as a genuine one for many outside the small industry circle, and the fact that Loewe is a proudly Spanish brand with an immense heritage acquires so much more meaning when everyone is able to understand it and interiorise it. In this way, some of the biggest players of the country, like Pau Cubarsí, Pedri, Unai Simón, Rodri or Nico Williams, wearing complete attire of tailored suits, sporty t-shirts and leather bags and shoes, become the perfect image and representation of the fashion made in Spain that accompanies its country of origin into every important moment of its history.
England and Palace
Palace Skateboards know a thing or two about good, wearable and cool-looking sportswear. There's an inherent style, dare I say swag, in what skaters wear: that unique and effortless nonchalant attitude that is enhanced by the relaxed, loose, layered but intentional clothes they wear and the way they mix it up. You already know an interpretation of this translated into a football uniform can only be a good match. The London-based company partnered with Nike to create an alternative football kit for the England national team, and the result is nothing short of great, being introduced by not only a campaign but also a cinematic short film starring the legends Wayne Rooney and Jill Scott and featuring some of the most iconic moments of the nation's football history.
The capsule is heavily inspired by the legend of Saint George and includes some minimalistic grey or white T-shirts with red details for the more cautious or various sets of tracksuits in technical materials in chrome and a varsity-inspired jacket with the eye-catching Three Lions crest of the coat of arms of England on the back. However, the crown jewels are a striking couple of polo t-shirts with an all-over print that resembles the stained glass found in churches, with Saint George taking the lead, front and centre. There's a greyscale one and one that replicates the vibrant colours of the traditional glass; we love them both.
The capsule is heavily inspired by the legend of Saint George and includes some minimalistic grey or white T-shirts with red details for the more cautious or various sets of tracksuits in technical materials in chrome and a varsity-inspired jacket with the eye-catching Three Lions crest of the coat of arms of England on the back. However, the crown jewels are a striking couple of polo t-shirts with an all-over print that resembles the stained glass found in churches, with Saint George taking the lead, front and centre. There's a greyscale one and one that replicates the vibrant colours of the traditional glass; we love them both.
France and Jacquemus
No one other than France's dearest Simon Porte Jacquemus could be the one in charge of a fashion interpretation of the national football team attire. Les Bleus, another way to call the French team, now become the muse for the Marseille-born designer, taking the traditional colours of the flag and of the uniform and giving them that minimalistic but fashion-forward sense of style that has taken him to the top. No stranger to a striped motif, very reminiscent of the summer and beachy spirit the brand is known for and that fits perfectly with the hot temperatures of this time of the year, Jacquemus and Nike have decided to adapt it into the staple jersey with blue as the predominant colour.
The campaign, starring current French football legends like Kylian Mbappé, Désiré Doué, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Marcus Thuram, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, features the other pieces of the collection, like matching shorts and track pants, a sweatshirt and a jacket, all with a vintage-inspired and very flattering fitting. The styling of the shoot, where the sporty pieces are paired with more formal ones like shirts and ties, gives us many ideas for how to dress up nicely during this World Cup season.
The campaign, starring current French football legends like Kylian Mbappé, Désiré Doué, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Marcus Thuram, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, features the other pieces of the collection, like matching shorts and track pants, a sweatshirt and a jacket, all with a vintage-inspired and very flattering fitting. The styling of the shoot, where the sporty pieces are paired with more formal ones like shirts and ties, gives us many ideas for how to dress up nicely during this World Cup season.
