Colm Dillane may have worked for LVMH, shown his KidSuper line to rave reviews in Paris and even created his own Ken doll. But having his own soccer field trumps everything.
Dillane grew up playing soccer and even competed as a professional in Brazil after he graduated from high school. Ever since he bought the 10,000-square-foot building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that serves as his headquarters, he’s envisioned creating a soccer field on the roof.
And next week, that vision will become reality when he cuts the ribbon on a pitch on top of KidSuper World at 158 Roebling Street. The space also houses an art gallery, studio, hybrid store and cultural hub.
“Of all the things that I’ve done in my career, this is the most dream-come-true for me,” Dillane said. He said it took years to secure the funding and permits needed to create the field, which is not regulation size, but large enough for “a small-sided game,” he said. “It took so much time and money and there was a lot of fighting with the DOB [Department of Buildings] and my neighbors.“
Dillane’s partners in the venture include Puma and Jameson Irish Whiskey, both longtime collaborators with the designer, along with a new partner, Hublot, the Swiss watchmaker and official timekeeper of global soccer matches. “It takes a village to do something like this,” he said.
The association with Puma started when Dillane created a line of soccer-inspired pieces for the brand and most recently culminated with KidSuper designing jerseys for seven teams competing in the recent FIFA Club World Cup. Jameson recently announced a multiyear North American partnership with MLS and will now become an official partner for future KidSuper soccer events.
“I’ve become the go-to guy in fashion whenever anyone is talking about soccer,” he said, attributing that standing to the fact that he is constantly “screaming from the mountain” whenever the sport is mentioned.
KidSuper has its own soccer team.
Courtesy of KidSuper
Dillane said although he’s been a soccer fan his entire life, the fact that the World Cup will be played in part in the U.S. next year means there is “a lot of energy around soccer,” and the opening of the field will allow the brands to hold a number of activations surrounding the game.
He said the plan is to use the pitch for his own KidSuper soccer team, as well as weekend soccer leagues and other matches. It’ll also be available for neighborhood kids to use for fun. “I grew up in New York and there weren’t a lot of places to play soccer,” he said. “I want this to become the iconic New York City soccer field.”
The grand opening of the KidSuper Football Pitch will be on July 31.
