KidSuper and Bape joined forces to do more than just design 48 unique pairs of the iconic Bapesta sneaker, one for each nation competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They launched the collection through one of the sweetest campaigns of the year, featuring 48 grandmas from all 48 participating countries in a film, alongside individual posters celebrating each nation – and with some really nice BTS content.
While World Cup collections usually focus on the biggest football powerhouses, KidSuper and Bape made sure every country got its moment. Each sneaker takes cues from its nation's colors, with country-specific details and packaging inspired by collectible action figures, turning the project into a true celebration of global football culture. Get all 48 pairs here.
As you know and can imagine, Nike has been way more than active in the weeks leading up to the World Cup. From the star-studded “RIP THE SCRIPT” film to partnering with Travis Scott again, to hosting their TOMA football cups in the streets of LA, Mexico City, New York, London and Seoul.
But one of my favorite activations is the regional one – Nike partnered with local fashion brands in nations where they’re the jersey sponsor to design football shoes, a jersey and a small capsule. And my favorite part: they let each brand create the campaign around it in a way that actually celebrates local culture. All previous Nike collaborators: Jacquemus for France, Palace for the UK, Drake’s NOCTA for Canada, V.A.A. (Virgil Abloh Archive) for the US, PEACEMINUSONE for South Korea and Patta for the Netherlands.
The collab pieces fall a little flat for my personal taste, but the campaign activations are everything. Palace putting Wayne Rooney and the Wembley stadium in theirs. Patta branding a train running through Amsterdam and hosting a kick-up challenge in the city today. PEACEMINUSONE celebrating on top of Seoul’s new landmark 63 SkyPicnic. That’s what I call celebrating football culture in each nation. The capsules are available from today via the local brands and from Tuesday through Nike’s SNEAKERS app.
As said, Nike is currently hyperactive, but with all their World Cup noise, a genius McDonald’s collab fell a little under the radar. The two iconic brands partnered again, bringing basketball pro and McDonald’s All American alum Devin Booker to the table for their second collaboration: the Nike Book 2. The shoe was available through McDonald’s loyalty app, but that’s not what got me.
It was the found-footage films announcing it. Devin Booker walks through the woods in Arizona, filming himself and the nature around him, suddenly discovering footprints in the sand—and eventually finding a (deeply unsettling if you’re scared of clowns) Ronald McDonald sitting alone on a bench in the middle of nowhere, picking up the camera and placing it down to sit next to him. Creepily genius. You don’t wanna know how many times I watched these. :D
Cash App has been on a roll with cool activations – they made credit cards actually desirable with A$AP Rocky and Baby Keem designed cards, and turned the Brat credit card from THE MOMENT into reality. Now they're taking the bag charm trend to a whole new level with a star-shaped, NFC-enabled magic wand you tap at terminals to make contactless payments. It lives on your bag as a charm and works as your payment device. It's already SOLD OUT, but more tap-to-pay hardware pieces are coming.
Is this the partnership the clean girls have been waiting for? Probably. Switzerland's most iconic running brand – home to talent like Zendaya, FKA Twigs, Roger Federer and Burna Boy – just made its way to LA to partner with the most expensive and prestigious grocery store in the world and the OG of the endless premium smoothie bars that have been popping up everywhere ever since. Together they co-released a juice and some co-branded merch. ON x Erewhon. Obviously.
032c just did something German football fashion is very much in need of: Through Zalando's partnership with the DFB, the iconic Berlin magazine brought their cultural lens into the world of German football. Shot by Ela Klingler and styled by Franka Rosa Maria Klaproth, they released a beautifully styled football shoot. Add in rapid-fire interviews with the talent about how soccer, fashion and kinship converge on the bleachers and in sports bars today and you've got a collab that actually understands both worlds. German fashion and German football, finally in the same room.
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