Two brands are arguing about an old tracksuit from the Brazilian national team

The tracksuit worn by the Brazilian National Team during their triumphant victory at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan has always been a cult piece for football fans. A Nike design closely tied to the Joga Bonito aesthetic embodied by that unforgettable generation of Brazilian talents, from Ronaldinho to Rivaldo, from Denilson to Ronaldo the Phenomenon, so much so that it is still so relevant today. When, very rarely, vintage pieces resurface for sale on marketplaces or second-hand shops, they immediately sell out. And such public attention could only push brands to bring back to life such a beloved design, while also remaining contemporary given the return of Y2K style and the Brazilian core. Surprisingly, however, it was not Nike itself that reissued one of its favorite models, despite owning the original IP, as it did with Ronaldo's historic number 9 jersey from 1998.

Instead, it was two streetwear brands, both influenced by football aesthetics in their lookbooks, like Palace Skateboarding and Corteiz RTW, who had the same idea. Or almost. In fact, a rare feud erupted between the two, as we are not used to seeing in current fashion, over who had the first intuition to create a bootleg version of the green and gold tracksuit. In March 2023, Corteiz began its collaboration with Nike, releasing a highly anticipated version of the AirMax95, also launched through a promotional video featuring Phil Foden and the return of JogaTV. It later collaborated with SUPREME, following the claim "Rules The World".

Palace Skateboarding, on the other hand, chose adidas as the sportswear brand with which to create its top collaborations, such as the one with Y-3 featuring Zinedine Zidane as the spokesperson. The London-based brand has always been more attentive to European inspirations, which is why it was strange to see in their lookbook, which traditionally previews the drops for each season, pieces inspired by the 2002 Brazil World Cup. A feeling that must have also been felt by Clint, the founder of Corteiz who, as Michael Jordan would say, took it personally. In fact, Clint himself had already created the same tracksuit in June, after personally previewing it during a trip to Brazil, and decided to put it back on sale on the same day as Palace's drop. He also created a t-shirt with Palace's famous Tri-Ferg logo and the word Corteiz on all three sides, and photoshopped his logo over Palace's Lucien Clarke photos.

A move that resembles more of a marketing tactic than a true diss towards Palace, one of the many that Corteiz has accustomed us to in recent years, creating a reactive and loyal community. An attitude that represents the key to any good streetwear brand and that, for example, led Corteiz to be accused by Nike of copyright infringement due to the possible confusion with the Nike Cortez. Streetwear has always lived on this fine line between legality and bootlegs and copies, and this case confirms how football aesthetics are increasingly in demand and fought over, to the point of sparking a war between two brands that didn't even own the original.