Jameson Unites J Balvin and KidSuper’s Colm Dillane for a Full Circle Creative Collaboration

When global music icon J Balvin and New York-based creative powerhouse Colm Dillane — the mind behind KidSuper — link up with Jameson Irish Whiskey for a campaign built around football, fashion and friendship, it doesn’t feel forced. It feels inevitable. Three worlds that have always existed in the same cultural orbit, finally in the same room.

The campaign, “It’s What You Bring”, is exactly what it sounds like, a celebration of the energy people carry into every space they enter. Shot on the rooftop pitch of KidSuper Studios in Brooklyn and accompanied by an eight-piece capsule collection, Bottled by KidSuper, the collaboration is as much about roots as it is about culture. Colm’s Irish heritage, Balvin’s Latino love of the game, Jameson’s 200 years of craft, it all folds together with a kind of effortless cool that only comes from real relationships.

PAUSE sat down with both J Balvin and Colm Dillane to talk about 15 years of friendship, grandmother’s sofas, and why this might just be the most personal collection KidSuper has ever made.

The “It’s What You Bring” campaign brings together music, fashion, and a drinks brand in a pretty unexpected way. How did this collaboration come about, and what was each of your visions going into it?

J BALVIN: We both are creatives, me and Colm we always love to express ourselves. He does music too, he loves to be in the studio. I love what he does, his creations and designs. We love the idea to create. We met each other 15 years ago and I saw him in his come up. It’s beautiful because we grew up together on different sites.

I heard about him from a friend in Paris. I was moving into New York and a friend told me there’s a great guy from fashion his name is Colm from Kid Super and met him in his studio, from that day we clicked. I love how he expresses himself in fashion. He was the 2^nd person that did my wardrobe for my whole tour, so we been working for a long time now. It’s like working with a brother you know, it’s just fun.

COLM: Yeah I think, one we started working with Jameson one of the three lines was my Irish heritage, my father is my Ireland. It was cool to work with a company that brought my back to my roots, I got to physically I got to go see my family which is great. My uncle & cousins came to the distillery to experience the whole thing with me, that was really cool.

With J Balvin, I didn’t know, he didn’t know, and we was both like woah. he was one of the first people to support KidSuper. It was kind of like a reunion.

The collection was pretty no brainer, it’s gonna be fashion, soccer and inspired by my heritage. Even the jerseys that some people are wearing, it’s from my grandmothers couch, the floral one.

J Balvin, you and Colm clearly have a real friendship that predates this project. How did that relationship shape the creative process — and do you think that personal dynamic comes through in the final campaign?

J BALVIN: I’m Batman and he’s Robin [haha]. We have different points of view, we actually all the time talking about different ideas, we always get in the middle and he thinks so different ideas and I do.

I think that’s the good thing about collaboration, it’s about how we can get in the middle, how you don’t loose yourself and we get in a happy medium.

COLM: Yeah one I have to send it to him and he’s going to be like this suck, because we’re friends he can be honest. And everyone really likes the collection. In terms of the campaign, we’re just f*cking around all the time. Then we’re like, hey, why don’t we shoot a buddy cut movie, and the director is like we’re trying to shoot a campaign. We’re like give us the script, give us lines.

Music, fashion, and whiskey are three very different worlds. What did the creative process actually look like when you sat down together — where did the ideas clash, and where did they click?

J BALVIN: You know, it’s like a full circle. We like to have good drink with good music and dressing good. It didn’t take us time, it was just clicked.

COLM: Clash, there wasn’t so much clashing because they was super supportive on everything. In terms of clicking, because Jameson had such a history and I got to go to Ireland to visit the distillery, I had so much drawing and logos from their old sketches of the town and the first bottle or logo.

In terms of colourways and feel, I’m so Irish, I was like how do I incorporate that. Even this hat feels like a sweater my grandma use to wear. So it was really cool to work with a brand that brought me back to my roots.

Colm, you visited the Midleton Distillery before the collection came together. How much did that experience influence the designs?

COLM: 100% yeah, honestly, before that we hadn’t had designed anything. The distillery was huge, just getting to see how big the brand was in that town just effecting the entire economy of that town.  It’s an old brand so you can see these old books with these beautiful fonts and sketches.

The hard thing is doing another collaboration if we have one, because I feel like I did such a good job with this one.

How did you translate Jameson’s 200-year heritage into something that feels distinctly KidSuper?

COLM: Seamlessly. [laughs] Obviously, they have their logos and their crest. I was trying to use more of their heritage brand but we didn’t want to use more of their old logos. Even the jacket J Balvin is wearing features an embroidered sketch of the first distilleries.

Football is at the heart of this campaign, but neither of you are footballers. Why was the sport the right lens to tell this story — and what does football culture mean to each of you personally?

J BALVIN: I love football. Yes I can play but I am not great. I am Columbian I have that sauce but Colm is a great player. As a football player, I am a better Artist. Well you know Football, it’s in our DNA as a Latino we grew up watching football all the time. So what we respect about football is the discipline I think that’s mind-blowing how discipline they have to get level they want and I’m super relatable with that.

COLM: I am the best fashion footballer, which is niche. Honestly, It was a no brainer, there was no other way to do this. The world cup is coming up and with Ireland my history, what I really like is soccer and me and Balvin have a soccer team together Footballer League, so it’s like man it couldn’t have been easier.

What soccer means to me? My first word was Ball. I don’t have a world where soccer wasn’t in my life. The first gift my dad got me was a soccer ball. It’s just been part of who I am and just a defining part of my character.

Can each of you describe the mood of this collaboration in one word?

J BALVIN: Life.

COLM: MOOD? Feels like a Guy Ritchie film.

This is a limited-edition drop, but Jameson also has long-term partnerships with MLS and the EFL. Where do you see this collaboration going beyond this collection — and is there more to come in the future?

J BALVIN: Oh yes definitely, of course. We have a lot of ideas. We want to pull up to the Met Gala next year and do something crazy. I want to go with him and do his craziness.

COLM: Definitely more to come. Hopefully this become pieces people really wear on the street. Sometimes, you get these like branded gift boxes and you throw it away but already people are like, can I get it can I get it. So I think that’s really cool.