A Champions League Fashion Showdown

…Today, the football-to-fashion pipeline is absolutely buzzing. Which star do you want to see jump from the pitch to the runway next?

The “Super Bowl of Pickleball” is taking place in Texas this week. Is this the moment the sport breaks through from hobbyist game to professional pastime? Tennis purists—avert your eyes.

League of Legends Worlds were held at London’s O2 Arena over the weekend. It was the biggest eSports day of the year, featuring a thrilling sudden-death final, Linkin Park, and drawing a peak of 6.9 million viewers. We apologize LoL, we weren’t familiar with your game.

Artificial Intelligence may be able to authenticate sneakers through smell. We don’t like AI coming for any jobs, but if it has to take one, we are willing to give them “inhaling sneaker fumes.”

WWE is using its NIL contracts as an entry point for getting college athletes to consider a career in professional wrestling. The gymnast, or football player, or weightlifter of today could be tomorrow’s world heavyweight champion.

When Arsenal and Inter Milan met for their Champions League match on Wednesday, it was not just a battle of football. There haven’t been two clubs in Europe who have leaned into fashion more than Arsenal and Inter., fIt was the Milan giants who edged out Arsenal on the night in a cagey game. But which team comes out on top as European soccer’s fashion MVP?

First up, we have the kits. Inter Milan’s Nike-designed jersey has reached icon status in several iterations, while Arsenal’s classic red-and-white home kits (now once again with cannon, courtesy of Adidas) are one of the cleanest looks in the whole sport. While Inter might have the edge in the long run, this points go to Arsenal this year, thanks in large part to their road kits, designed in collaboration with Labrum London and inspired by the club’s ties to the African diaspora.

The two European soccer heavyweights go toe-to-toe in terms of off-pitch swag, too. Inter’s squad turns up to Champions League game nights dressed in bespoke formalwear designed by Italian luxury house Canali, which replaced Moncler as the team’s fashion partner this year. The Gunners, meanwhile, have dropped collaborations with a long line of streetwear players in recent years from Aries to Maharishi. 

Finally, we have the stars themselves. For Arsenal, Bukayo Saka leads the way, rocking streetwear style that is runway worthy, starring in New Balance campaigns and is a frequent guest on the front row of Burberry’s London Fashion Week shows. His partner, Tolami Benson, is no stranger to fashion either, often spotted in custom-made jackets which subtly nod to her support of Arsenal’s beloved No. 7. Opposing him is Inter’s Marcus Thuram, a regular face at Louis Vuitton parties and in luxury brand campaigns. It’s another close battle, but we’re leaning Arsenal.

@footballerfits

One of the coldest ballers out there 😮‍💨 #football #fashion #drip #viral #intermilan #france #marcusthuram #thuram

@uninterrupted

Who do you want to see Bring the Boom next? 💪🏾 #costcoguys

The internet found Tony Hawk’s new favorite skater. You might have caught it in our Photo Finish yesterday, but it’s a story so good we wanted to tell it in full. The account blackarchives.co, run by visual artist Renata Cherlise, shared an image of a young, Black skateboarder effortlessly skating through the rain, holding her umbrella. Hawk saw the picture, shared it to his own account, and the quest to find the mystery skater began.

Jeremy Markovich took up the challenge on his Substack, NC Rabbit Hole. After diving through the archives and with an assist from our nation's greatest heroes—librarians—Markovich had an answer—the photo had appeared in the January 21, 1979 issue of the Fayetteville Observer with the following caption: “Shaundra Shane didn’t want to get wet, but the idea of spending a Saturday without her skateboard was to much to handle. So she got her umbrella and wheeled down Dinsmore Drive.”

The skater was ultimately found to still be living in Fayetteville, Shaunda (not Shaundra, the newspaper had misspelled her name) Shane is now 56, and was 10-years-old when the photo was taken. “I was free,” Shaunda said of her younger years skating. “You’re outside. There’s the wind. There’s just, like, a freeness, you know?”

Anyways, thank you for your service Cherlise and Markovich, and to Tony Hawk, reach out! Your skater has been found. We love a story with a happy ending.