Kappa Beyond the Game: Upcycling Football Jerseys into Wearable Art

Kappa has deepened its involvement in creative soccer culture with the launch of “Beyond the Game,” a campaign that reworks football jerseys into one-of-a-kind garments. Rather than treating shirts as static souvenirs, the Italian brand embraces upcycling as both a design strategy and a cultural statement.

The Beyond the Game Campaign

Upcycling football shirts has grown from a niche DIY movement into a broader cultural shift, largely driven by independent studios and global craft communities. Kappa previously explored this space through projects like the RE:GENERATION JERSEY with Serie A side Genoa. With Beyond the Game, the brand takes a more decisive step, positioning upcycling at the center of its creative identity.

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Instead of preserving jerseys as untouchable artefacts, the campaign reimagines them as living objects. These are not unofficial modifications or post-consumer alterations happening on the fringes of football culture. They are Kappa’s own designs, intentionally deconstructed and reinvented.

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Two Designers, Two Approaches

For this project, Kappa collaborated with emerging designers Tega Akinola and Kiqué Sanchez. Both bring experimental mindsets to the task of transformation, using deconstruction as a tool to unlock new aesthetic and symbolic meanings from familiar jerseys.

Tega Akinola: Feminine Reconstruction

Based in London, Akinola develops a design practice rooted in reuse and sustainability. Working with shirts from clubs such as Fiorentina, Deportivo La Coruña, Real Valladolid and OGC Nice, she created a series of one-of-one feminine pieces: a bomber jacket, mini-dress, skirt and sleeveless top. Each garment is carefully dismantled and recomposed, ensuring nothing is wasted.

Akinola’s work balances aesthetics with a clear message. By preserving original design elements while reshaping their function, she generates a dialogue between sport, fashion and social responsibility. Sustainability and emancipation sit at the heart of the collection, reframing traditionally masculine sporting garments through a feminine perspective. “Each piece in this collaboration is unique and tells a story,” she explains. “The designs of the original jerseys were respected and guided their transformation. From the colours to the graphics, each element has been studied individually in the transformation process in order to preserve the specific identity of each shirt.”

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Kiqué Sanchez: Architectural Deconstruction

Where Akinola emphasizes emotional and social reconstruction, Sanchez approaches the project from an architectural standpoint. Drawing from jerseys worn by Red Star FC, Genoa CFC, FK Partizan and OGC Nice, he offers a contemporary interpretation of sportswear that blurs the line between utility and art. Through deliberate cuts, layering and recomposition, he transforms the jersey into a creative object—at home in a gallery or concept store as much as in a stadium.

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Together, the two designers demonstrate the latent value embedded in football shirts, challenging the idea that they are disposable or season-specific items. Instead, Beyond the Game presents them as cultural artefacts with a lifespan extending far beyond a single matchday.

Sustainability as Foundation, Not Gimmick

In an era when sustainability risks being reduced to marketing shorthand, Kappa’s approach feels more considered. Upcycling here is not a visual gimmick or a limited-edition colourway—it is the project’s foundation. By opening its archive and current designs to creative reinterpretation, the brand signals a willingness to relinquish control, tapping into a more authentic, collaborative model of creation.

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Expanding What a Football Shirt Can Represent

Beyond the Game is ultimately about expanding the role of the football shirt. It affirms Kappa’s desire to move past the jersey’s primary function and explore its broader stylistic and cultural potential. At the same time, it reinforces the brand’s commitment to nurturing emerging talent, positioning design and sustainability as central pillars in its evolving lifestyle identity.

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