When Mexico scored its first goal of the World Cup this June against South Africa, the crowd at Estadio Ciudad de México erupted into a sea of green, white, and red. It was the kind of collective euphoria that is hard to explain to anyone outside it, the sort that makes strangers embrace, leap to their feet, and let themselves hope. As the tournament went on, the phrase “Y si sí?” began trending across Mexico, a hopeful shorthand for the question every fan was quietly asking: what if we actually win?
That blend of tradition, passion, and hope is exactly what Chicano designer Willy Chavarria poured into his World Cup capsule collection with Adidas, titled “Comienza Con El Sueño,” or “It Begins With the Dream.”
Reimagining the national kit
In Chavarria’s hands, the classic green jersey gains a bold white collar decorated with Aztec symbols in red, along with drop shoulders and wide, slouchy sleeves. A lemon-yellow goalie kit reworks ancient motifs into a modern, abstract print, a nod to Mexican goalkeeper Jorge Campos, who transformed football fashion in the 1990s with his self-designed neon kits. Chavarria rounds out the palette with mint green, salmon pink, and lavender for a retro yet meaningful effect.
The designer describes the collection as an expression of pride and possibility. He says he wanted to take familiar elements of football and bring them into his own world through proportion, shape, and emotion, always keeping the people, the culture, and the feeling behind the clothing in mind.
Football’s growing fashion moment
By many measures, the sport reached new heights this year, drawing in fans in places where it had long been overlooked and pushing further into entertainment and fashion. Celebrities have leaned in enthusiastically, from Zoë Kravitz in soccer shorts and peep-toe heels to Rihanna in oversize jerseys layered with diamonds and Rosalía in tutu skirts and cleats. Jersey collaborations, a vintage merch craze, and star-studded stadium suites featuring figures like Victoria Beckham, Penélope Cruz, and Tyla have all become part of the spectacle.
Chavarria sees that influence everywhere. Jerseys, he notes, have become part of how people dress, with football references surfacing across fashion, music, and art. The culture surrounding the game, he argues, has become as influential as the matches themselves.
Players are embracing high fashion too. Chavarria points to Norwegian star Erling Haaland, whose collection of Hermès Birkin bags has drawn attention, as an example of how athletes now present themselves off the pitch. People connect with players because of who they are, he says, and fashion has become one of the most authentic ways they express that.
He is especially optimistic about football footwear, praising the innovation and personality built into the products and predicting that designers will keep drawing inspiration from that world.
After a month of gathering with friends in jerseys, following the betting pools, and cheering at the screen, the World Cup wraps up this Sunday, July 19, with a final between Spain and Argentina. The hope now is that the energy and authenticity of this summer of sport carries forward, both in fashion and in everyday life. Y si sí?