CHAMPION X DUKE’S CUPBOARD REVIVE COURT CULTURE WITH THE DUKE’S ALL STARS GAMES ACROSS LONDON, PARIS & AMSTERDAM

In a powerful convergence of heritage and street culture, Champion, an enduring force in athletic wear, is teaming up with Duke’s Cupboard, one of Europe’s most influential vintage stores, to launch a limited-edition series dubbed the Duke’s All Stars Games. Kicking off on May 31, 2025, this bold collaboration is far more than a fashion drop; it’s a traveling celebration of basketball, style, and city identity. With events staged in Amsterdam, London, and Paris, the initiative blends competitive energy with cultural flair, spotlighting the pulse of European streetball through immersive court activations and highly collectible merchandise capsules.

Each city will play host to its own unique basketball activation, paying homage to its local courts, communities, and underground style. Designed by Duke’s Cupboard, the collection features exclusive basketball kits, graphic hoodies, and premium t-shirts–each tailored to reflect the energy and visual language of its host city. The capsule drops don’t just carry visual motifs inspired by these cities; they echo the swagger of local streetball, the colors of concrete playgrounds, and the DIY essence of vintage style. From mesh-stitched jerseys in Paris to oversized, graffiti-inspired hoodies in London and sunset-drenched palettes in Amsterdam, the Duke’s All Stars range reimagines sportswear as a wearable archive of culture.

Champion, steeped in over a century of basketball heritage, has long been an emblem of athletic authenticity once outfitting NBA teams and dominating American courts with its iconic reverse-weave construction and collegiate cuts. In recent years, the brand has undergone a cultural renaissance, aligning with high-fashion and streetwear through collaborations with names like Supreme, Vetements, and KITH. By joining forces with Duke’s Cupboard, Champion extends its reach beyond retro appreciation into the heart of modern youth identity, elevating the conversation from clothing to community.

Duke’s Cupboard, meanwhile, has risen from a humble Soho street stall to become a stylist’s secret weapon and a cultural touchstone in its own right. Founded by Angelo Mitakos and Sammy Shimi, the store curates vintage grails from old-school Nike to archival Ralph Lauren and, fittingly, Champion itself. Their eye for rare fashion and cultural references makes them the perfect curatorial partner for a project rooted in both past and present. The Duke’s All Stars Games mark the brand’s evolution from tastemakers to full-fledged design collaborators, delivering pieces that are not just rare but deeply resonant.

What makes this collaboration especially meaningful is its celebration of basketball’s role in European urban culture. While football dominates the continent’s sporting headlines, basketball thrives in its subcultures–on cracked concrete courts in London’s Finsbury Park, beneath Parisian murals in Pigalle, and in Amsterdam’s graffiti-lined lanes. The Duke’s All Stars Games is a love letter to these overlooked but vibrant spaces. Each event will double as a style-forward, community-centered experience, merging sport and streetwear in a way that feels grassroots yet elevated.

In addition to the online release, the capsule will be available exclusively in-store at Champion Soho and Duke’s Soho, reinforcing its limited-edition appeal. To mark the launch in style, Duke’s will host a celebratory in-store event on Friday, June 6, expected to bring together a cross-section of London’s cultural scene, from stylists and skaters to musicians and creatives. The event promises more than just retail–it’s shaping up to be a moment for music, movement, and style, with potential live DJ sets, curated playlists, and street-style activations all in the mix.

As streetwear continues to blur the lines between sport and self-expression, the Duke’s All Stars Games stand as a fresh, authentic take on how fashion can reflect identity through movement, community, and nostalgia. Whether you’re chasing city-exclusive kits, connecting with the cultural heartbeat of the courts, or simply embracing the art of the drop, this collaboration embodies what happens when local pride meets global legacy and when vintage curators become the next generation of storytellers.