Chelsea and London-based fashion brand Nicholas Daley have released their capsule collection celebrating the life and career of Paul Canoville, the West London club's first Black player. The collection, released today, features a specially designed scarf and track jacket that take inspiration from the Blues' iconic 1983/84 kit. Two years in the making, the capsule survived a pandemic, government sanctions and a change of ownership. Despite the lengthy production time, Daley told us he was delighted with the final product:“Super happy the collection is out in the world. It was a long time coming but worth the wait. It’s a collection that talks about crossovers: culture, great product, trailblazers, representation, music and how they all intersect with football and the terraces. Seeing some of the photos of Paul wearing the collection was quite poignant – a real full circle moment.”Canoville is a unique figure in West London – when first presented with the project, Daley felt his story was the one to focus on:“I bough Paul’s book ‘Black and Blue’ and I felt his would be a great story to anchor the project and bring in a lot of other aspects I thought were important. Paul’s is a very interesting journey and it reflects a lot of people’s from the Caribbean community. Many people in the Black community who have excelled have gone through a lot. There’s a lot of trauma alongside a lot of achievement. Paul is a great person to have as a pillar.”The designer felt an affinity with Canoville’s story, continuing a trend that runs throughout his career:“My collections often focus on a muse: my first collection at St Martin’s was centred around Don Letts, for example. I like to look back on the British Black icons and celebrate them.”The collection’s link with Canoville isn’t purely aesthetic, either. All proceeds will be donated to The Paul Canoville Foundation, setup by its namesake in 2015 to support the next generation of young fans.For Daley, the capsule signals a first foray into the world of sportswear. It’s a that he understands well, though:“The intersection between fashion brands and sports clubs is becoming more common. Designers are using strips for runway shows in Paris. To make a sports-fashion collab work, there needs to be an understanding on both sides. It needs to feel authentic, truthful and respectful.”When asked whether he’d like to design a football kit one day, Daley was effusive:“Definitely. If anyone from the Scottish federation is reading this and are looking for a new Scotland kit, I’d be well up for it!”The Chelsea FC x Nicholas Daley collection is available to buy online. You can see more Nicholas’ work at nicholasdaley.net.Take a closer look at the capsule below.