BAPE and KidSuper dress the BAPE STA for 2026

As the BAPE STA turns 25 and the 2026 World Cup approaches, BAPE and KidSuper release SUPERBAPE CUP—48 country-themed sneaker designs. The first wave reaches stores in just ten countries, with pre-orders starting at $325 for the rest, while the campaign foregr

The first thing people notice isn’t the silhouette. It’s the shine.

For World Cup season. BAPE and KidSuper have re-dressed the BAPE STA—one of the most instantly recognizable sneakers to emerge from early-2000s Ura-Harajuku streetwear culture. Born in A Bathing Ape’s original Tokyo ecosystem. the STA is the kind of shoe that can trigger a strong reaction on sight. Love it or loathe it, its star-dotted identity has long divided opinion. Nike. too. didn’t exactly ignore how close it once lived to the Air Force 1 Low; a lawsuit and settlement followed. and the STA gradually shifted through subtle design tweaks and an increasing number of collaborations.

Now, the sneaker is being pulled into a new role: less about settled debates over identity, more about what story it can carry next. This time, the story is the World Cup.

BAPE called in KidSuper to mark two milestones at once: the STA’s 25th anniversary and the 2026 World Cup. KidSuper’s Spring 2027 collection is already “deep into World Cup territory. ” and the two brands have turned that momentum into a release called SUPERBAPE CUP. There are 48 designs in total, with each pair tied to a participating country.

The pairs are built around color palettes meant to channel the look of their respective homes. finished with a glossy surface designed to catch light. Patent leather is met with new detailing throughout—KidSuper’s logo on the heel. and a matching face graphic drawn from flags. stadiums. and everything in between. The campaign insists on spectacle. but it also emphasizes specificity: each shoe is meant to feel like it belongs to somewhere.

The catch is access. Only 10 countries have made it into stores so far. The SUPERBAPE CUP is available at KidSuper’s Brooklyn flagship and at select BAPE locations. The first-wave countries are the United States, Mexico, England, France, Japan, Spain, Ghana, Argentina, Brazil and Portugal. Everything else is held behind a $325 pre-order tag.

What caught attention, though, wasn’t only the sneakers. It was the people in the campaign.

The models weren’t models at all. Instead. the visuals center grandmothers from around the world. shot in their homes and wearing the high-shine shoes alongside traditional clothing and World Cup merch when the styling calls for it. The effect is intimate rather than glossy—domestic, familiar, and a little unexpected.

Colm Dillane, speaking to the concept, framed it as a mirror between two kinds of gathering. “Just as the world’s largest football tournament unites people, New York City plays the same role. People from over 50 countries gather here. each bringing their own story. forming a city that is a microcosm of the world. The energy that comes from the intersection of different values, ideas, and generations is also reflected in the BAPE STA™.”.

That statement lands because it connects directly to what SUPERBAPE CUP shows: a sneaker that has always traveled through street culture now being used as a canvas for global identity, worn in ordinary rooms rather than staged runways.

For anyone waiting to see whether the World Cup theme sticks beyond novelty, the availability itself tells a story. Ten countries can walk into stores now. The rest are waiting at $325. one pre-order away from stepping into a version of the tournament that begins long before any kickoff—on feet. in homes. and in the quiet confidence of something familiar made newly loud.

BAPE STA KidSuper SUPERBAPE CUP 2026 World Cup streetwear sneakers collaborations patent leather Brooklyn flagship Ura-Harajuku cultural identity