In what is one of the most unforeseen collaborations in recent years, Colm Dillane, the founder of the eccentric menswear label KidSuper, has teamed up with English Football League One club Barnsley to design the kits for its upcoming 2023/24 season.
Dillane, who earlier this year co-created a Louis Vuitton collection for Paris Fashion Week Men’s, is the brains behind Brooklyn-based outfit KidSuper, a brand renowned for its wild designs and forward-thinking aesthetics.
Now, together with Barnsley and PUMA (the club’s official kit manufacturer), Dillane has created three stand-out kits (home, away, alternative) for the club’s forthcoming 2023/24 League One campaign, a stark contrast from his LV collection earlier this year.
“I will design anything to do with soccer teams. My goal is to have a KidSuper team one day and sub myself in,” Dillane told Highsnobiety. “Julie-Anne Quay, Director at Barnsley, reached out [to me about a collaboration] and I was like 100 percent of course.”
Barnsley FC currently find themselves in League One, the third tier of English football. And while there are plenty more teams more far-out than Barnsley for Dillane to have collaborated with, it certainly wasn't one any of us saw coming. That's not to say I'm not all for it though.
“I always like the vintage jerseys more than the more modern ones, they seemed to have more character and individuality back in the day,” Dillane continued.
The kits themselves draw inspiration from the rich history of Barnsley FC, a process that began with an in-depth exploration of the club's badge, previous shirts, and overall heritage, in particular the "Shaw Carpets" kit from the 1989/1990 season.
“I was researching old Barnsley kits, and the stars were from an old strip back in the day. I also added the Toby Tyke emblem back to the black away kit, I was just making the jersey feel more special and true to the past.”
The KidSuper x Barnsley FC 23/24 home kit is now available to pre-order the club’s website, while information on how to purchase the away and third kits is expected in the very near future.
