Just weeks after launching its new tie-up with JW Anderson, Diadora is back again with another designer sneaker collaboration.
This time, the Italian sports heritage brand has teamed up with Dolce & Gabbana on two updates to its signature Brasil sneaker, which was first launched in 1984 and has since been seen both on and off the football pitch.
Available in both a football version and a special sneaker interpretation, the collaborative Brasil model is reimagined through Dolce & Gabbana’s distinctive creative lens with a monochromatic palette and leopard print details.
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First up, the duo’s classic Brasil features a nappa leather upper, enhanced with stitching designed to support optimal ball control, and is paired with an anatomical footbed that plays up lightness and flexibility. Completing the design is the Softy Pro 91 sole, engineered to provide performance and comfort, Diadora noted.
Next, the Brasil ID features an ultra-soft nappa leather upper with visible stitching to echo the unmistakable silhouette of the historic football boot. Designed for everyday wear, the sneaker is completed by the signature folded tongue detail over the laces. The Brasil ID will be available in full-grain leather with leopard-print pony hair details, and in all-over animalier pony hair.
Diadora chairman Enrico Moretti Polegato said in a statement that its newest collaboration is a “celebration of a time when football stood for identity, style and culture.”
“We are shining a spotlight on a moment in time when a sport was able to connect generations through passion and creativity,” Moretti Polegato noted. “With this project, we aim to bring back that emotional energy and reinterpret it through the lens of Italian craftsmanship, blending Diadora’s sporting heritage with Dolce & Gabbana’s unmistakable aesthetic vision.”
Diadora’s new capsule with Dolce & Gabbana follows the release of its first sneaker collection with JW Anderson last month. For this tie-up, Anderson took on the Italian shoe brand’s Equipe trainer, which was originally created by Diadora in 1975 for elite athletes.
Nearly 50 years later, this archival unisex style was reimagined in four bold colorways selected by designer Jonathan Anderson – Green Night, Navy Peony, Empire Red and Princess Blue, each complete with logo branded hardware and laces.
As for more details on Diadora’s approach to fashion collaborations, Moretti Polegato told FN in separate statement that these new releases represent an “important expression” of the brand’s lifestyle strategy.
“We choose partners whose values are rooted in skill, authenticity, and cultural relevance,” the executive said. “Whether revisiting the emotional energy of football culture in the 2000s or exploring a more contemporary and experimental design language, these collaborations allow us to showcase the depth of our archive while engaging with new global communities.”
The new unisex Dolce & Gabbana x Diadora collection, which retails between $545 and $625, will be available from June 8 in selected Dolce & Gabbana flagship stores, Dolcegabbana.com and at specialist retailers worldwide.