Over the years, KidSuper has partnered with everyone from Louis Vuitton and Puma to Lovesac, Cirque du Soleil, Superplastic and Mattel.
Now, Colm Dillane, the designer of the fashion brand, has pushed the envelope even further for his newest collaboration. This time around, he’s teaming with Papa Johns, the company known for its pizza and garlic dipping sauce.
While it might sound like a stretch to most people, to Dillane it makes perfect sense. See, Papa Johns created a croissant pizza and was looking for a novel way to promote it. And Dillane is preparing for his next show during fashion week later this month in Paris, where croissants are pervasive.
“I’m here to show the world what a croissant pizza is,” Dillane said.
He designed a limited-edition hot bag to hold the pizzas that will debut on the runway during the KidSuper show on June 28. The bag sports a floral jacquard design and a woven strap that is intended to mimic the tightly braided crust of the special pizza.
Dillane said when he’s preparing for his show, he and his team pull all-nighters and order tons of pizza to help them stay awake and able to work. “We eat so much pizza — that’s our go-to order,” Dillane said. So when Papa Johns reached out, it was a no-brainer. “I said, if we do this, will you provide us pizzas for our late-night studio sessions?”
That remains to be seen, but considering that the theme of his upcoming show is a children’s book, “having pizza and taking pizza on adventures actually tied into the story. So it worked pretty seamlessly,” he said, adding that the addition of the hot bag could be viewed as either “a pizza bag or an interesting accessory. We’ve been known to do interesting and eclectic bags and accessories during runway, so this will fit right in.”
Papa Johns’ croissant pizza.
The croissant pizza will make its debut in Dubai on Tuesday before being rolled out to other select international markets where some customers may actually be among the lucky ones to receive their delivery in the Papa Johns x KidSuper hot bag. For now, the Croissant Pizza will not be available in the U.S.
Dillane said he’s making a small number of the bags as a “cool, promotional item,” but they won’t be mass produced.
Chris Lyn-Sue, senior vice president and managing director of international at Papa Johns, said in coming up with the idea of a croissant pizza, the company “explored the rise of croissant mash-ups in food culture — from the cronut to the crookie — and saw an opportunity to bring that same innovation to pizza.” The company worked on the product for a year. “It’s a menu item worthy of going from kitchen to catwalk.”
Dillane added: “A lot of brands are now working with KidSuper because I’ve been known to push barriers and try new things. It’s been interesting to see behind the hood of giant brands that are also trying to do interesting things, have fun and be creative. [With this,] we’re thinking outside the pizza box.”
In addition to Papa Johns, Dillane is also partnering once again with Puma on a special collection of kits for several soccer teams: Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, FC Salzburg, Mamelodi Sundowns, Al-Hilal, Palmeiras and Monterrey. The Puma x KidSuper collection also features special edition Future, Ultra and King boots.
“I’ve always wanted to merge the worlds of art and football, and with Puma, we’re doing just that,” Dillane said. “This collection is about more than just the game. It’s about expressing yourself, taking risks, and standing out. Whether on the pitch or off, football is an art form, and this collection shows that.”
The offering includes jerseys in both Authentic and Replica versions for each team as well as retro shirts, graphic tees, shorts, pants and a reversible jacket. The collection retails for $45 to $250 and will be available starting June 10 on the Puma website, its stores in New York and Las Vegas, official club stores and other select retailers.
