A Nomen Omen Story, interview with Colm Dillane Exploring the diverse universe of KidSuper
KidSuper’s universe is a lifelong collage of founder Colm Dillane’s obsessions: football, fashion, and his childhood heroes. Each Fashion Week, his work attracts people from all over the world, from industry insiders to sports legends. Needless to say, the majority of Dillane’s chef-d'oeuvre is dedicated to the football world. Designing a new kit for English Football League One Barnsley FC and collaborating with Ronaldinho – November 2024, the two dropped a limited edition collection, represent two of the designer’s biggest life achievements. After all, when you’ve already managed to build a streetwear empire in the span of a little over ten years, and you’ve even been recruited by Louis Vuitton Men for a guest designer stint, there’s nothing left to do but fulfill your childhood dreams. “I never made a conscious decision to make football part of the brand,” says Dillane. “It just naturally became part of the DNA.”
For Dillane, playing football has always been a matter of finding communities far from home. “Growing up, we moved around a lot, and football was how I connected with people,” recounts the designer. Although one could guess that a child’s fascination with football might be due to its competitiveness and potency, the chaos of a game attracted Dillane the most. “It’s emotion, drama, and a little bit of magic,” he adds. “The stadiums, the kits, the fans losing their minds, it’s all part of this bigger picture.”
He founded the brand KidSuper with that very same emotion in mind, as theatricality, inclusivity, and celebration can be found in all of his work from the early 2010s until now. To Dillane, the best thing about football and fashion is their ability to bring people together, a force that transcends any language or cultural barriers. “What I love most is how universal it is: if there’s a ball, you’re in.” The designer’s search for entertainment and wonder in the fashion and football industries couldn’t find inspiration in anyone but Ronaldinho, a childhood hero of Dillane who stunned him for his impressive on and off-pitch style. “He didn’t just play football, he made it look like joy,” says Dillane, recounting Ronaldinho’s dance-like skills. “It was creative, fun, and felt like art,” he adds, explaining why everything about the player, from his looks to his energy and approach to the sport, is a constant source of inspiration to the brand.
Apart from Dinho, other players have caught the designer’s attention, like Jack Grealish and Vinícius Jr., as “they’re pushing their own style and having fun with it.” Plus, he’s got his eye on Venezia FC’s new kits – “they’re treating their kits like real fashion, which I respect.” In the eyes of a streetwear designer whose passion for football goes far beyond team favourites, a great kit is all about the culture. “It’s not just a uniform, it’s a story, something that says more without trying too hard. The best ones feel like something people actually want to wear, even on a day-to-day basis. That’s why I love pulling from football in my collections, it has history, bold graphics, and this natural crossover into fashion that just makes sense.”
With 2026 shaping up to be a landmark year for football in the US thanks to the World Cup, there is no better time for New York-based KidSuper to further dig into the artistic side of football. Last year, Ronaldinho’s cameo at KidSuper’s FW24 show – followed by the collaboration between the two – has seriously raised the bar for the brand. But even though Dillane won’t disclose any details about upcoming projects, we can be sure it’s going to be showstopping. In the meantime, he’s looking forward to unveiling KidSuper’s football pitch, built on the brand’s headquarters rooftop. “First to play? Probably me and whoever’s hanging out that day. But if I could get a rooftop game with Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, Maluma, or some of the new-gen players, that’d be crazy.” Football, like fashion, is after all just a game to be played.
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