Shutabug reimagines World Cup kits with inclusive, playful elegance | OneFootball

Nigerian artist Mayowa “Shutabug” Alabi has reimagined World Cup kits as high-fashion digital portraits led by striking black women, offering an inclusive, playful, sexy, elegant take. According to L'Équipe, the Arsenal fan launched “The Beautiful Game” after a soured build-up.

Eschewing star players, he refashioned all 48 national shirts with cultural touchstones, such as the Eiffel Tower for France, tango for Argentina, the isicholo for South Africa, Haaland-style blond hair for Norway and the lion of Babylon for Iraq.

He drew tall, elegant figures on his tablet in homage to the expressive women who shaped his Lagos upbringing, and he says he does not enjoy drawing men. Hairstyles and headwear abound, from braids and buns to berets, veils and scarves.

He notes football shirts now cut across genders and pop culture, often paired with sharp tailoring, yet he wanted each look to tell a story rather than chase a trend.

Alabi has exhibited in Lagos, Nairobi, London and Atlanta, and he works for the BBC in illustration. He has traded pencils for digital tools, though he could try watercolour in time.

Arsenal’s Premier League title in May rekindled his football muse after two decades of near misses, and he painted the Gunners’ red bus parade in a magical London. In 2026 the New York Knicks, NBA champions, also inspired new pieces, Spike Lee received a tribute, he says black is simply his favourite colour, and he is extending the project for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Source: L'Équipe

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