Daniel Buezo Interview For Mercer

Photo: Buchanan’s Whisky and Kids of immigrants

Ahead of The World Cup, we sat down for a chat with Daniel Buezo, Founder of Kids of Immigrants, to talk about the brand's 10-year journey, his longtime creative partnership with Buchanan's Whisky, and the new FIFA World Cup 2026 Spirit Collection.

"IF I CAN BE THAT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION AND SHOW A SENSE OF A BEACON OF LIGHT, CREATIVITY - THAT WOULD BE, THAT TO ME IS, YOU KNOW, I'VE MADE IT."

MERCER: You said that you liked hip-hop growing up. How growing up in Brooklyn with hip-hop and the storytelling aspect of hip-hop influenced your creative voice and storytelling within the Kids of Immigrants?

DANIEL:

MERCER: 2016. The decision, and you said it also - we're going to choose to celebrate love and everything that's around it, regardless of what's going on outside. What does love mean to Kids of Immigrants in 2026, 10 years later?

DANIEL:

MERCER: That connection - once somebody is within the universe of Kids of Immigrants it kind of gives them the confidence to be who they are within their community and where they're from.

DANIEL:

MERCER: You said that traveling is the best form of learning. 10 years in the journey, you traveled a lot, be it Lagos, with Hugo Mendoza, Clint, and everyone?

DANIEL:

Buchanan’s Whisky and Kids of immigrants

MERCER: Buchanan's FIFA World Cup 2026 Spirit Collection clearly reflects a deep personal investment in the design. You've described fútbol as a unifying force and this collection as your trophy. What drives you to draw inspiration from that sense of community?

DANIEL:

MERCER: Who's your favorite fútbol player, then?

DANIEL:

MERCER: For the collection, you created four designs: ‘El Ritmo | La Calle’; ‘Mi Gente | Mi Juego’; ‘Un Balón | Un Sueño’ y ‘El Golazo | La Fiesta.’ What's the design process behind the collection, and choosing the names as well?

DANIEL:

Buchanan’s Whisky and Kids of immigrants

MERCER: Heritage. When you started, your family didn't really understand what you're doing. Now, fútbol is more universal. Is it a better platform to explain to your parents what exactly you're doing? Because going back to the conversation of only Angelo probably is the figure. Shout out Angelo, by the way. Shout out Awake. Do you see yourself as a role model within this project right now?

DANIEL:

"IT WAS JUST SEEING HOW THE SPORT IS LOVED AND EMBRACED IN EVERY PART OF THE WORLD, EVERY TYPE OF TERRAIN IN THE WORLD."

MERCER: “When I think of Kids of Immigrants, I want it to be the platform that unifies people from all over the backgrounds.” - how fútbol is doing it within the Latin community?

DANIEL:

MERCER: I hear you. Well, I'm a France fan, so let's see what's going to happen.

DANIEL:

Buchanan’s Whisky and Kids of immigrants

MERCER: It's just unbelievable what happened four years ago, but we're going to try to forget that.

DANIEL:

MERCER: The relationship with Buchanan’s started and evolved into a four-plus years creative partnership, so what is it like to come every single time with a new project and continue that lineage of supporting each other and working with each other and amplifying the message through various mediums.

DANIEL:

"BUT LOVE IS THE CONSTANT FOR US, AND IT'S THE ANCHORING PIECE TO EVERYTHING, WHETHER IT'S INTERNAL OR THE WAY IT SHOWS UP TO THE WORLD: DO WE LOVE WHAT WE'RE DOING?"

MERCER: What about Guillermo from 424? He's from Guatemala, big on fútbol. Like me, as a fan of fashion and fútbol, it would be interesting to see both of you working together. Love Guillermo.

DANIEL:

MERCER: You said: “The more we can hear stories, the more we can see stories, the more we can imagine.” With all these actions, storytelling embedded as well, hip-hop, where do you see the future of streetwear and fútbol going in the near future?

DANIEL:

MERCER: What's one message you'd like to pass on?

DANIEL:

Daniel Buezo Of "Kids Of Immigrants".