Is Soccer Cool?

The World Cup is coming, and it’s going to be huge. Between June 14 and July 15, nearly half the world’s total population will watch the largest sporting event on the planet. That means many things: goals, celebrations, beer, flag waving, Will Smith anthems. It also means an invasion of collaborations and soccer-themed fashion from your favorite brands. So. Many. Brands. Louis Vuitton launched a series of duffels and backpacks based on the hexagonal panel pattern of soccer balls. (There’s also a carrying case specifically for your World Cup trophy. Because always be prepared?) Pepsi partnered with Boohoo, BoohooMan, Umbro, Le Specs, New Era, and Anteater on “a global capsule fashion collection centered around football.” Perhaps the company hopes fans will wear a red, white, and blue crop top or graphic tee into the World Cup stadiums, guerrilla marketing at the Coca-Cola-sponsored event. The Swedish brand Acne released a soccer line, too: It’s called “fotbollsklubb.” The $60 classic whistles are out of stock, but you can still get a $220 pair of unisex shorts (complete with fake football club emblem and jersey number) in ruby red or a $390 chocolate brown logo sweatshirt. Not to be outdone, Virgil Abloh and Nike created a Nike x Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh soccer collection. It’s not available to the public until the start of the tournament (and even then, good freaking luck), but the line was already gifted to the Boylan Catholic High School soccer team, which once counted Abloh as a player. German soccer star Jerome Boateng also got some gear from the designer. Read more at Racked.