Football shirts have firmly established themselves in the fashion wardrobe, moving from the terraces to street style and even the front row. But the relationship between sport and fashion is evolving beyond team jerseys. From heritage American sportswear to luxury collaborations and Italian tailoring, brands are finding new ways to bring sporting identity into everyday dressing.
This season, three collaborations caught our attention for doing exactly that. Each offers a different interpretation of the sporting wardrobe, proving that showing team spirit does not necessarily mean wearing a shirt with a club badge.
1. ’47 – A New York Baseball Love Affair
Few sporting rivalries carry quite the same cultural weight as the New York Yankees and New York Mets. Bringing their shared history into focus, ’47 introduces its Subway Series collection, celebrating two of baseball’s most iconic franchises through a campaign starring MLB legend Dwight Gooden.
With a career that connected both sides of New York’s baseball rivalry, Gooden is the natural face of the collection. Part of the Mets’ 1986 World Series-winning team, he later joined the Yankees, playing during their 1996 championship season before celebrating another World Series victory with the team in 2000.
The collection also marks two significant anniversaries: 40 years since the Mets’ 1986 triumph and 30 years since the Yankees’ 1996 championship season.
Visually, it is an exercise in effortless American sportswear. Classic team graphics, relaxed silhouettes and familiar baseball references give the collection that lived-in quality that works just as well outside the stadium. From the royal-blue Mets headwear to the Yankees sweatshirt and oversized hoodie, these are pieces that feel rooted in sporting history without looking like conventional match-day merchandise.
Available now at 47brand.co.uk.
2. NFL x Casablanca x Jeff Hamilton – American Football Gets a Parisian Makeover
For something a little more unexpected, the NFL joins forces with Parisian fashion house Casablanca and legendary designer Jeff Hamilton for a five-piece limited-edition collection celebrating the league’s first regular-season game in France.
Unveiled ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers versus New Orleans Saints game at Stade de France on 25 October, the collaboration takes American football somewhere far removed from traditional team merchandise.
Drawing inspiration from ancient Greece and the origins of modern sport, the collection brings together classical statues, marble columns, Greek pottery, trophies and winged figures, alongside Parisian landmarks, football players and the iconic NFL shield. The result is a distinctive meeting of sporting mythology and Casablanca’s recognisable artistic universe.
The five-piece capsule features an all-over printed silk shirt, an organic cotton graphic T-shirt, a fashion jersey, branded socks and a standout varsity jacket by Jeff Hamilton. The latter is particularly worth noting: presented in navy and cream, it features statement patches on the sleeves and an oversized ’26’ across the back, complete with a line attributed to Plato: “The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself.”
For Hamilton, the collaboration also carries a personal connection, having been born in Casablanca and raised in Paris. Known for his iconic sports-inspired jackets, including designs associated with basketball legends Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, his involvement brings another layer of sporting heritage to the project.
Limited edition and available exclusively through Casablanca, this is less about dressing for the game and more about collecting a piece of the cultural moment.
Available in sizes XS–XXXL at casablancaparis.com and selected Casablanca boutiques in Paris and Los Angeles.
3. Canali x FC Internazionale Milano – When Italian Tailoring Meets the Beautiful Game
Not every sporting collaboration needs an oversized jersey or a graphic-heavy statement piece. Canali and FC Internazionale Milano take an altogether more sophisticated approach for Fall/Winter 2026/27, creating the official wardrobe for the club’s First Team players and Coach.
Titled Excellence Suits Stars, the partnership explores the intersection of Italian tailoring and contemporary sporting life, with a wardrobe that feels just as relevant beyond the football pitch.
At its heart is the Capri jacket, a three-patch-pocket design crafted from blue wool flannel. Paired with contemporary-fit trousers featuring double pleats, the silhouette offers a relaxed interpretation of traditional tailoring. Underneath, pure cashmere crewnecks and cotton-and-silk knitted T-shirts introduce a softer approach to layering.
Outerwear brings another dimension to the collection, particularly the padded blue-flannel bomber with a shirt collar, designed to balance practicality with refinement. For the Coach, the wardrobe also includes a flannel car coat and puffer, offering different interpretations of the same understated aesthetic.
Rather than leaning into obvious football references, Canali focuses on the clothes themselves: fabric, construction, proportion and versatility. It is a compelling reminder that the modern sporting wardrobe can extend well beyond training gear and match-day dressing.
For those who prefer their team allegiance a little more discreet, this may be the most sophisticated interpretation of sport-meets-fashion this season.
The collection is available at canali.com and selected Canali flagship boutiques.
The Final Word
Sport and fashion have always shared a relationship, but the latest collaborations suggest that the conversation is becoming far more interesting. Whether it is the nostalgia of New York baseball, Casablanca’s artistic reimagining of American football or Canali’s understated Italian tailoring, each demonstrates that sporting identity can be expressed in more ways than one.
The football shirt might have opened the door, but the new sporting wardrobe is playing an entirely different game.
